A Series Of Story Ideas
by GammaTron
Summary: Various Story Ideas I've been thinking of lately.
1. Chapter 1

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Story Idea 1: To Renew**

**This idea came to me sometime last year when news about X and Y was just getting good with the news of Mega Evolution. It is a story where Ash's soul was taken the night before by a Dusknoir and devoured and Arceus had to use a soul from a different world that had great experience with the series in both anime, manga, and games to fight off whoever had sent the Dusknoir in Ash's body. Basically, it's someone else that is now Ash Ketchum, but with more knowledge and way better experience with how the world of Pokemon works. I don't own Pokemon. That belongs to its creator and Nintendo.**

* * *

This…This feels strange. I…I should be dead. Yet, my eyes are opened to an unknown ceiling with sunlight coming out of a window. Groaning, I got out of bed and walked over to the mirror on the nearby dresser. Pulling out some headphones, I slid them on before turning on the music player they were attached to. As the sounds of smooth jazz played, I finally looked in the mirror and yelped. That…That wasn't my face! It was then I heard laughter…feminine laughter. I noticed the jazz had stopped playing and the laughter was coming from the headphones.

_ =Hello-hello-hello~! Good morning…um…well, I'll just call you 'Ash.' Okay~?=_

My eye twitched. Whoever made this the first thing he heard from this music player would have their butt whooped.

_ =Now before you try to find out who's butt you're going to whoop, let me explain who this is=_ my eyes widened at that part _=I am Arceus, the Creator of All Pokémon…except for Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem; they made me. Anyways, I want to say 'thank you' for dying!=_

This better be a prank or something…

_ =Oh, it's no prank, Ashy~. You did die when that bomb went off. But, I was able to save your soul and put it into your current body. A Pokémon named Dusknoir took this poor boy's soul in his sleep and he had an important part in this world in his life. But you already know about it since you're a fan of the series, hai~?=_

Damn this girl's good.

_ =Of course I am! I am Arceus, after all~! Now, I need you to fill his role, but you can do it however you want to, okay~? But you still need to pick Pikachu, got it?=_

And if I don't…?

_ =Then I'll have to do something about it=_

I slowly gulped at that. Okay, this was getting too scary for me.

_ =Well, you expect me to not do it when your thoughts are akin to the Fourth Wall?=_

What?!

_ =Oh, nothing~=_ Arceus giggled _=Now hurry up and get dressed. I gave you half-an-hour earlier than Ash to get ready for seeing Professor Oak. Just so you know, the moment you get your PokéDex, it'll have enough Poké in it for you to buy a ton of supplies along with data on every single Pokémon as a way of saying 'thanks' for becoming Ash for me. When you get a PokéGear, I'll contact you, okay? Also, people will hear what you say in what they normally hear it here in Pallet Town until you come back after you have all eight badges here. Bye-bye~!=_

With that, the 'song' stopped playing. I tried to go back to it, but the device just went to the very end. Was that really Arceus? I shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked at the mirror. Somewhat tanned skin, the 'z' markings on the cheeks, the black hair and onyx eyes. Yep…I really was Ash Ketchum. …Son of a Gogoat. I quickly got dressed and smiled a bit. I always loved this original outfit, especially the hat.

I walked down the stairs and smiled a bit at the woman waiting at the bottom. Ash, or rather me, had a beautiful mother especially when it came to her natural beauty. No wonder she won the beach contest in that episode.

"Morning, Mom," I greeted as I finished walking down the stairs.

"You seem awfully calm despite being almost late to Professor Oak's, young man," Delia noted.

"Well, I'm not sure about which Pokémon I want," I replied, "I mean, Bulbasaur's pretty cool, especially with his evolutions, but Squirtle and his evolutions can help when I need to go out to sea to go to Cinnabar Island to challenge the Gym Leader there. But then I think about Charmander and his final evolution as a Charizard. How cool would it be to just fly around on him or her?"

"I see…You really paid attention to that show Professor Oak was playing for today, didn't you?"

"A bit," I replied, "I kinda fell asleep a bit into it."

"Of course you did. It was nearly eleven," Delia giggled before she hugged me, "Oh, my little boy…I'm going miss you so much."

"Mom…"

I felt my eyes water a bit. She wasn't my mom, bless her soul, but she was Ash's mom. And since I was Ash, I guess she was my other mother. Maybe this body was going through its memories to help me act how she'd think I'd act.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm going to be a great Pokémon Trainer and come back with all eight badges!" I grinned at her, tears still in my eyes.

"I know you will," Delia replied before kissing my forehead, "Now hurry or you'll be even later to Professor Oak's."

"Okay, Mom," I nodded before running out, "I'll see you later with my Starter, Mom!"

Lucky for me, they showed Professor Oak's lab enough times to let me quickly find it. I stopped before the door and was about to knock when it opened. I quickly examined who was there. It was a brunette/red-head in a purple shirt, purple pants, a green and yellow yin-yang necklace, and brown mohacasin-like shoes.

"Gary," I greeted, though my body was showing signs of annoyance.

"Well, well, if it isn't Ashy-boy," Gary smirked.

Ashy-boy…I hate that nickname already, "You got your Pokémon, Gary?"

"Yeah," he replied with a smirk, "I got the last one, too. Guess you should've woken up earlier, eh?"

"Nah. You know me, Gary. I'll come out on top soon enough," I couldn't help but smirk at Gary's annoyed expression.

"Oh? Then how are you going to do that?"

"Simple; I'll just ask Professor Oak if I could go out without a Pokémon and catch a Starter," I replied, earning a taunting laugh from Gary.

"As if you could catch a Pokémon!"

"…Wanna bet?" I challenged, "When I catch a Pokémon before getting to Viridian City, you gotta write on the next sign you see outside of any city with a Gym in it 'Ash is a Winner, Gary's dinner.' If I don't, I'll write 'Gary's a Winner, Ash is a wimpy loser' on the sign to Cerulean City."

"Heh. You're on!" Gary replied before he walked down the steps to his cheerleaders and his car.

"And why are you even using a car? You'll scare away the Pokémon, you know!" I called out to him.

"Like you'd know!"

Childish response, Gary. Childish response. Then again, he was only ten or eleven at the moment. I entered the lab and found Professor Oak there. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was seeing it right. He didn't look like his anime self, but more like the Electric Tales of Pikachu version of himself, complete with stubble on his chin, Gary-like grey hair, and seemed to be in the prime of his physical fitness than an elderly man.

"Ah, Ash, good to see you!" Professor Oak greeted.

"Hey, Professor. Did Gary really get the last Pokémon?"

"Um…Well…Yes. He chose Squirtle while Charmander and Bulbasaur were already picked," Professor Oak replied.

"Aw Ratatta! I thought he was just playing around with me!" I grinned a little in my head at Professor Oak's somewhat worried expression.

"Well…There is one left, but I'm not sure if he'll be a good pick," Professor Oak replied.

"Please, Professor, I'll take any Pokémon you can offer," I urged him, "I made a promise to become the best Pokémon Trainer that came out of Pallet Town of my generation and I intend to keep it. So please, Professor, you've gotta have one for me, you just gotta!"

Professor Oak sighed. He walked over to a machine where three Pokéballs were. He pressed a button and a fourth Pokéball emerged. On the Pokéball, there was a lightning bolt mark. I smiled a little as I opened it, releasing the Pokémon inside onto the table nearby. It stood at 1'04" and was probably 13.2lbs. His fur was a bright yellow with two brown oval spots of fur on the back. He was mouse-like in appearance with a lightning bolt-shaped tail, the bottom of it brown. The red cheeks it had sparked every now and then. I knew this iconic Pokémon easy enough.

"It's a Pikachu," I couldn't help but grin, "Now I know I'll be a great Pokémon Trainer!"

"Pii?" Pikachu tilted his head.

"What makes you say that?" Professor Oak asked.

"Because Pikachu are cool," I replied, earning a surprised look from said-Pokémon.

"Well then, I'd better give you your PokéDex and a few Pokéballs while you're still here," Professor Oak noted as he walked off, leaving me and Pikachu alone.

"It's nice to meet you, Pikachu," I greeted before gently rubbed one of his cheeks, earning a sigh of content from him, "I don't want you to feel like you're being used, so I want you to decide for yourself on the most important thing to me; do you want to be in your Pokéball while we travel, or would you rather like to stay out of it?"

Pikachu's eyes widened a little. He was probably expecting me to just return him to his Pokéball, as if I'd do that. I placed the Pokéball on the table and backed away. Pikachu looked at it before slapping it away into my hand.

"Okay, so you wanna ride on my shoulder while we travel?" I offered.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded as he jumped off the table on onto my shoulder.

"Cool," I grinned-man, I'm doing this a lot today-before Professor Oak came in.

"That's strange. I was expecting him to electrocute you by now," Oak noted.

"Well, did you try talking to Pikachu about what he wanted?" I asked.

"Hmm…Good point," Professor Oak replied, "Anyways, these are for you. Use those Pokéballs to capture Pokémon and this PokéDex is equipped with all you need to know about Pokémon and it acts as your Trainer's License. You just press this button to display the data."

"Thanks, Professor!" I grinned, "Wish me luck, because I'm going to come back with all eight badges for the Indigo League!"

I quickly ran out with Pikachu on my shoulder. At the bottom of the hill, I couldn't help but crack a smile at seeing the small crowd with Delia…with my mom…at the very front with the green backpack that I loved to see Ash have before he kept changing his clothes for the new regions after Johto. I hated that!

"It looks like you brought the entire neighborhood," I joked.

"Oh, I did, but some were too busy to see you off," Delia replied, making me sweatdrop, "Oh my! Is that your Pokémon?"

"Yep. Mom, meet Pikachu or, as I'm going to be calling him, Stormer," I introduced, Pikachu smirking a bit at the nickname he was given.

"May I pick him up?" Delia asked as she gave me the backpack.

"Stormer?" I glanced at my Starter, "It's your call on this one."

"Pika…" Stormer began to think before hopping into her arms, "Pikachu!"

"Oh, you're so adorable," Delia cooed as she rubbed one of Stormer's cheeks.

"Chu~" Stormer sighed happily.

"Heh. Mom, you sure have a way with Pokémon," I chuckled at how much Stormer was enjoying it.

"Aw, thanks, sweetie," Delia giggled, "But…Why aren't you keeping him in his Pokéball?"

"I wanted Stormer to decide if he wanted to," I replied, "He may be my Pokémon, but he's his own living being. If I want to be the best Trainer there is, then I need to have powerful bonds with my Pokémon."

"Pika!" Stormer beamed as he finally got back onto my shoulder.

"Well, there are some rubber gloves in there for cleaning any dishes that you use," Delia explained, "Plus some extra clothes and you-know-whats that I expect you to change daily…"

What is with this woman and embarrassing her son?! By the time we were on the road, Stormer had fallen into my arms, laughing in his own way, while I was entirely red-faced in a blush. Soon, we were out of sight of Pallet Town and out on Route 1. By now, I should've seen Ho-Oh soaring through the sky. A cry caught our attention as a shadow covered us. I looked up and saw the rainbow with Ho-Oh flying by it. What I didn't expect was for a case to hit me in the face and knock me onto my back and Stormer on my belly.

"Ow…" I groaned as I got up into a sitting position to look at what hit me, "What the…a case?"

"Pika!"

Stormer pointed at a note on it. I picked it up and opened the paper up. 'Hello~Hello~Hello, Ashy~! It's you-know-who~! I forgot to hide this in your backpack! It's TMs and HMs from all the games! But you don't have to worry about them working only once, sweetie~. These are repeatable like in Generations V and VI. Inside this case is also an instruction manual and a device for teaching Pokémon the moves. Love, Arceus~3 PS: Stormer has Lightningrod as his Ability and knows Volt Tackle but he doesn't know it yet. PPS: The moment you left town, I updated your PokéDex with all data on every single Pokémon, so have fun with that.' I shook my head at the letter. I opened it up, noticing that they were all labeled with their attack. I pulled out my PokéDex and aimed it at Pikachu.

** =PIKACHU, THE MOUSE POKÉMON, AND THE EVOLVED FORM OF PICHU. PIKACHU'S TAIL IS SOMETIMES STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AS IT RAISES IT TO CHECK ITS SURROUNDING. PIKACHU CAN HELP OTHER PIKACHU WHO ARE FEELING WEAK BY SHARING ITS ELECTRIC CURRENT. CURRENT MOVES ARE: VOLT TACKLE, GROWL, THUNDERSHOCK, AND TAIL WHIP. LEVEL: 7=**

"Okay. So you're at Level 7 and you've got some good moves so far," I noted before picking up the TM for Iron Tail, "But for our first Gym, we'll need a Steel-Type move."

"Pii?" Stormer tilted his head in confusion.

I pulled out a black CD Player with a pair of suction cups replacing the ends of the 'headphones' connected to it. I glanced at the instructions, thankful for pictures. It seemed easy enough, but it also said that Stormer would need to practice with the move for a bit before he could fully use it.

"Stormer, come here," I urged, "I promise that you'll be fine."

Stormer frowned at me. He needed more information than that. Damn you, Pikachu. I began to explain to him what I was hoping we could do so he'd have an advantage at the first Gym. After a few minutes, and me introducing him to ketchup, he agreed. Stormer was able to figure out how to put it on and I activated the TM. For a few seconds, his eyes glowed blue as the TM 'played' its information. Once it was done, I put the items away.

"Okay. It said we needed to practice with it first, so what do you want to test Iron Tail on that isn't me?" I asked, noticing Stormer's look while I was asking him.

Stormer pouted before walking over to a tree branch that had fallen from a storm most likely. He charged at it before swinging his tail at it. It glowed for a few seconds but it stopped just before he hit. Stormer frowned as his ears drooped with his tail.

"Don't worry about it, Stormer," I encouraged, "It did say that you needed to practice with the move first."

The sound of wings flapping earned my attention after that. I turned to it and saw through a bit of the grass a familiar cream and brown bird; a Pidgey.

"Hmm…" I tapped my chin.

Do I follow canon on this and try to capture this Pidgey and end up fleeing from a flock of any Spearow with one eventually evolving into Fearow and leave me without a Pidgeot? …Nah. Pidgeot's were awesome.

"Stormer, do you want to wait until we go a bit deeper along this route before fighting another Pokémon or do you want to fight that Pidgey here and now?"

"Pika," Stormer shook his head.

With that, we went on and ignored the Pidgey and Spearow there. Eventually, we came upon a small waterfall and I had to shake my head a bit in mirth. This was where Ash had first met Misty. No way was I gonna end up with having to pay for a new bike for her. But still…Her Water Pokémon did help in situations. I sighed before pulling the rope out of my backpack and tied it around a tree. I proceeded to use it to get down, Stormer holding onto my head as he laid on my hat.

We reached the bottom after a few minutes. Once we were there, I took noticed of a blue bicycle near the water with a girl sitting on a rock with a fishing lure on it. She had her orange hair done in a lopsided pigtail while she wore a yellow tee and blue short-shorts that had red overall straps connected to them, a red backpack beside her. I knew her as Misty Waterflower.

"Excuse me!" the girl was startled a bit by my call, "I'm sorry if I startled you. My name's Ash and this is Stormer."

"I'm Misty and it's no problem. But be careful, I'm trying to catch a Water Pokémon in here," Misty replied as she motioned to the river.

"Any kind?" I asked as I sat beside her.

"Well, yeah. I plan on being a great Water Pokémon Trainer," Misty replied.

"Even with Magikarp?" I asked, aware she had a fear of Gyarados at the time.

"Uh…well…" Misty began before looking at Stormer, "Oh, he's so adorable!"

"Thanks. Stormer and I just met this morning," I explained to her, "He's my Starter."

"So you're from Pallet Town? I never thought they used Electric Types as Starter Pokémon," Misty noted as she rubbed Pikachu's cheek.

"Well, Professor Oak didn't have any others for me and I was kinda desperate," I explained, "But it works out for me. Pikachu is gonna be the strongest Pokémon you'll ever see by the time we're done beating the Main Eight."

"The Main Eight?"

"Pewter, Cerulean, Vermillion, Celadon, Fuchsia, Saffron, Cinnabar, and Viridian," I replied, "Those towns and island are the homes of the Main Eight, the eight best Gym Leaders."

"…You really think that?" Misty asked.

"You bet," I replied as I pulled out the map my 'mom' provided me that I had put marks on, "See? First I go to Pewter, then Cerulean, and then down to Vermillion and then up to Lavender to see the Pokémon Tower before heading to Saffron and Celadon. After that, it's down south to Fuchsia and a trip on the sea to go to Cinnabar and then up to Viridian City by passing through home."

"Huh. So you really planned this out, didn't you?" Misty asked.

"Yep. I have less than a year to get all eight badges for the Indigo League, build up a team of Pokémon that work alongside me, and spend whatever time remains for the league to start to have days of relaxing and days of training. I'm somewhat ready for Pewter Gym."

"Somewhat? Pewter Gym uses Rock Type Pokémon. Is Pikachu your only Pokémon?" Misty asked.

"Yeah. Stormer is, but he's got a new attack called 'Iron Tail' that we're developing for that Gym," I replied as I looked down at the Pikachu, cuddling the ketchup bottle.

"Why is it…?"

"He loves Ketchup," I chuckled, "It was the only way I could get him to agree to try developing Iron Tail." I turned to my backpack and began to look through it, "Now I wonder if I have an air filter or something to let me go underwater…"

"Huh?"

"Well, if you can't get the Pokémon to come to you, you go to where the Pokémon are," I replied, pulling out the device I was looking for, "Stormer, once you're done with your Ketchup, please try to finish learning Iron Tail, okay? I'm going after a Pokémon."

"Pika!" Stormer saluted.

I removed my jacket and hat before putting them into my backpack. I took off my socks and shoes before jumping into the water. I swore I heard Misty shout something, but I digress. I swam down to the bottom of the river before looking around. It was kinda cool how some logic, such as needing protective lenses for your eyes while underwater, weren't really needed here. I noticed that there were quite a few Pokémon underwater. I didn't see any Goldeen or Seaking, so that was good. I didn't want to get poisoned just yet.

Something tapped my shoulder. I turned to see no one was there. The tap went off again and I turned. …Okay, someone's playing with me here. I looked up just in time to see who was about to tap me. The Pokémon resembled an overgrown snake with blue scales and a white underbelly. It had a round white muzzle with cute black eyes. There were also tiny 'wings' on its head. I waved to the Dratini and it swam upwards to the surface. I followed it and emerged just as Misty yelped at seeing Dratini.

"That's a Dratini!" Misty gasped while I took my breather out.

"You're a sneaky one, aren't you?" I asked the Dratini, earning an amused-sounding squeak from it, "My name's Ash Ketchum. It's nice to meet you."

I held a hand out to Dratini and it shook it with its tail. The two of us swam over to Misty and Pikachu, who I noticed was walking away from a tree in annoyance with either it or his tail.

"Aren't you going to battle and catch it?" Misty asked

"Only if Dratini wants to," Ash replied before turning to Dratini, "I'm looking for some powerful Pokémon to join my team." Dratini pointed at itself with a tilted head, "Yeah. Like you. If you want to come with, you're more than welcome to."

Dratini just looked at me before nodding. I held a Pokéball out for Dratini and it 'kissed' it, letting itself be captured.

"Wh-What?" Misty gawked, "You just asked it? But…what?"

"Sometimes, you need to just talk with a Pokémon instead of just battling it," I replied, "Some are more pacifistic in the wild than you think." I got out and walked behind a tree with my stuff, "Now I need to dry off and change real quick or I'll end up as the first Pallet Town Trainer to get sick on his first day away from home. You wanna come with me? I could always need help from other Trainers."

I quickly dried off and changed my clothes. Stormer was quick in getting back onto my shoulder and looked at the Pokéball that held Dratini in it. I pulled out the PokéDex and scanned the Pokéball.

** =DRATINI, THE DRAGON POKÉMON. HEIGHT: 4'10". WEIGHT: 6.4LBS. AS DRATINI IS FILLED WITH LIFE ENERGY, IT IS CONSTANTLY GROWING, AND THUS GROW TO BE OVER SIX FEET LONG. AS IT GROWS, ITS SKIN WILL START TO SHED AND CAUSE IT TO HIDE BEHIND POWERFUL WATERFALLS. DUE TO SO FEW HAVING SEEN IT, DRATINI IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE "MIRAGE POKÉMON." LEVEL: 5. ATTACKS: WRAP, LEER, THUNDER WAVE, AND DRAGON RUSH. GENDER: FEMALE=**

"Wow. Seems one of her parents must have known Dragon Rush if she knows it," I noted.

"Dragon Rush?" Misty repeated as I looked it up for her.

** =DRAGON RUSH – THE USER TACKLES THE TARGET WHILE EXHIBITING OVERWHELMING MENACE. IT MAY ALSO MAKE THE TARGET FLINCH=**

"Heh. Looks like we got a new friend and training partner, Stormer," I noted to my Starter.

"Pii-Pikachu!" Stormer pouted.

"You really wanted to have a battle, huh?" I asked, earning a semi-nod, "Well, when we get to Viridian to rest at the Pokémon Center, we'll find someone and have a battle against them. Sound okay to you?"

"Pi…Pika!" Stormer smiled.

"Great to hear, buddy," I grinned before looking at Misty, "You coming with?"

"Maybe," Misty replied, "How about I meet you at Viridian later?"

"Sure. Just be careful. I think it's gonna start storming soon," I advised before I left with Stormer on my shoulder. Well…That went better than I expected.

As if Murphy heard me, it was then Stormer sneezed. Of course, when he sneezed, he accidentally let out a ThunderShock that hit Misty's bike. I froze with a worried smile on my face.

"Stormer…"

"Pii?"

"I have an idea right now," I noted, swearing that the area was growing darker as Misty began to growl.

"Pika?"

"Run away!-!-!"

"Get back here, you bike-wrecker!" Misty hollered as she gave chase.

"Curse you, Murphy's Law!" I shouted as I began doing everything I could to stay ahead of her.

* * *

I grumbled as the three of us entered Viridian City, me sporting a large bump on my noggin. She caught up with me, but I managed to get her to agree to wait until we were in Cerulean City to buy her a bike since (in Gen I and its remakes) it is the best place for bikes.

"And you don't even have to remind me," I noted as I put a note saying 'I owe Misty one new bike' into my hat, "See? It'll be on the top of my thoughts."

"It better be…" Misty frowned.

"But, hey, at least there's a good thing about all this," I noted.

"What?" Misty frowned.

"We're not gonna be alone while traveling for a bit," I grinned at her.

"Hold it right there!"

And cue Officer Jenny. We turned to the police station we were passing as a woman stepped out. She had blue hair and wore a blue Japanese Policewoman's uniform with Pokéball emblems replacing areas for badges.

"Good evening, Officer," I greeted before taking my PokéDex out, "Something the matter?"

"Why do you have that Pokémon out of its Pokéball?" Jenny demanded.

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," I replied, "This is my friend, Misty Waterflower. As for why Stormer isn't in his Pokéball, I let him decide on it."

"Let me see your Trainer License."

"With pleasure," I replied.

** =I AM DEXTER, A POKÉDEX PROGRAMMED BY PROFESSOR OAK FOR POKÉMON TRAINER ASH KETCHUM OF THE TOWN OF PALLET. MY FUNCTION IS TO PROVIDE ASH WITH INFORMATION AND ADVICE REGARDING POKÉMON AND THEIR TRAINING. IF LOST OR STOLEN, I CANNOT BE REPLACED. CURRENT POKÉMON: PIKACHU – NICKNAME: STORMER, DRATINI – NICKNAME: N/A=**

"I see…" Jenny nodded before giving a sheepish smile and apologized, "I'm sorry about that. You see, we've been having trouble with Pokémon thieves recently." She motioned to a poster of two of the most idiotic people I have ever seen, "If you see them, alert the police right away."

"No problem," I replied, "Do you have copies of this one?"

"Yes, actually," Jenny replied.

"If I may, would it be all right if I took this one?" I asked.

"No problem," Jenny replied as I removed the wanted poster and carefully folded it up to go into my backpack.

"Thank you. Now I'll be able to have something to help me locate them if they're in disguise," I noted.

"That's kinda smart for a ten year old," Misty noted as we left.

"Well, I just hate Pokémon Thieves. No one should control all them or even any of them for that matter," I noted as I rubbed a hand on Pikachu's cheek, "They're alive, like you and me are, Misty. They're not just partners for me, but more like family."

"…Okay, I have got to meet your parents if you're this good," Misty noted.

"Parent. I only have my Mom," I replied, making Misty flinch.

"Oh! Uh…Well…" Misty looked at her feet in embarrassment.

"Hey now, it's fine. You didn't know," I shrugged, "Stormer here sure liked her."

"Pika!" Stormer beamed before sighing wistfully, having missed the way she held him while caressing one of his cheeks.

"Don't worry, little buddy, we'll call her as soon as we get to the Pokémon Center," I replied before flinching.

Crap. I don't know her number…or Professor Oak's number…or any number in the Kanto Region for that matter…I quickly stopped at a bench and began to look through my backpack. Yes! A sheet with phone numbers! Oh, thank you, Arceus! By the time we were getting to the Pokémon Center, night was starting to form. At that moment, I mused that somewhere, in some way, an Eevee was evolving into Umbreon or a Sneasel was becoming Weavile…or a recently-revived Pokémon from a Sail Fossil was evolving. We went in and I couldn't help but blush a bit. I always had a bit of a crush on the Nurse Joys in the anime, with their kind, caring personalities, the cute nurse outfits, that pink hair, the cute nurse outfits, how they treat the Pokémon more like living beings than just tools, the cute nurse outfits… I slapped myself discreetly. Think about a Nurse Joy in lingerie resembling a nurse's outfit with Sylveon traits later, heal Pokémon now.

"So where did you live before going on your journey?" I asked as Misty and I sat at a nearby pair of chairs while the Pokémon were getting treated.

"Oh, just a bit out there," Misty replied.

"…You don't like to talk about where you come from?" I asked.

"Well, not really."

"You got teased a lot?"

"None of your business!" Misty growled at me with a glare.

"Fair enough," I raised my hands in defense.

** =RING-RING-RING! RING-RING-RING! PHONE CALL~! PHONE CALL~!=**

Well, seeing how no one was gonna do it, I decided to answer the call. I went behind the desk and answered it. On the wall behind the counter was a set of four stone carvings of Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Arcanine. The Arcanine panel slid to the side, revealing a monitor that displayed Professor Oak's back.

"Professor?"

=Hm? Oh, Ash my boy! I see you made it to Viridian City!=

"Yeah. But I can't say that it's nice to see your back and not your face," I joked.

=Huh?= Oak turned around to see it =Whoops! Wrong monitor!= the screen went fuzzy before it ended with me seeing him =Sorry about that. By the way, I got an interesting call from Gary. Said that you and him made a bet on if you could catch a Pokémon or not by the time you reached Viridian. Well, I called his bluff and it ended up with a bet between me and him for a million Poké!=

"Well, consider yourself rich," I joked.

=You caught one?=

"Yep. Her name's Marina," I replied, "She'll be a great Pokémon for some of the Gyms and a good training partner for Stormer."

=You're nicknaming them?= Oak asked.

"Yeah. That way, the opponent won't know what kind of Pokémon I ask to battle with until they see them," I replied, "Oh! And that reminds me! I saw this weird Pokémon with Stormer today. It had sun-like feathers with a white underbelly, a gold beak and talons, and seemed to have wings and tail feathers made of rainbows!"

=A new Pokémon?= Professor Oak raised a brow.

"Yeah. It was really cool, too!"

=Hmm…I'll take a look into it, then= Oak noted before a doorbell rang =Oh! That must be the pizza I ordered. Gotta go now! And call your mother, Ash!=

I rolled my eyes at that. Just like in the anime and the Electric Tale of Pikachu, stomach first; research second. I went over to the video-phones and pulled out my sheet of numbers and quickly dialed up my 'Mom.' As I recall, she should be getting out of the shower by now and removing the mud-mask and towel on her head. Sure enough, she answered looking just as beautiful as normal in a blue bathrobe.

=Hello! Ketchum Residence! Delia speaking= she greeted before noticing who it was =Ash!=

"Hey, Mom. I just got into Viridian City," I greeted.

=Oh, sweetie, that's good news!=

"Yep. And Gary owes Professor Oak a million Poké now," I snickered.

=Why would he owe him that?= Delia asked.

"Turns out they had a bet on if I could catch a Pokémon on Route 1 or not by the time I got here," I swear I could see the dark fire in her eyes as I said that.

=…Sweetie, if you're still in town tomorrow, please call me and remind me to go 'talk' with Professor Oak about betting…again. Okay?=

"S-Sure thing," I shuddered a bit.

"Excuse me, but your Pokémon are healed up," Nurse Joy informed.

"I've got 'em," Misty spoke as she picked up the Pokéballs except for Marina's; Stormer took her Pokéball and came over to me.

"Pikachu!" Stormer waved happily.

=Well hello to you too, Pikachu= Delia giggled at her rhyme =He looks so cute with you, sweetie=

"Thanks, Mom," I replied before releasing Marina, "And this is Marina, my first Pokémon that I caught."

=Oh! She's a Dratini!= Delia exclaimed with excitement =Oh, I am so proud of you!=

I blushed a bit at the praise she was giving. Marina seemed to enjoy it with her puffing herself up a bit and the smug look in her eyes.

"Anyways, Mom, I made a new friend and traveling companion," I spoke once she began to finish her pride-filled rant of joy before moving a bit to let Misty be seen, "This is Misty. I met her when I caught Marina."

=Well, hello!= Delia greeted =I hope my son isn't too troubling for you=

"Actually, he's been kinda nice so far," Misty replied, "He actually caught his Dratini without fighting."

=Huh?= Delia blinked.

"I just asked if she wanted to come with us," Ash sheepishly replied as Marina nuzzled him.

"He also added that he thought Marina was a powerful Pokémon to her," Misty added.

=So you didn't battle?= Delia asked.

"Well, I didn't want anyone to get hurt by Pikachu's electric attacks since he doesn't have any real physical moves," Ash replied, "But we are developing this new attack called Iron Tail. Once we're done, it'll be our ace against Brock and any Gym Leaders that use Pokémon with a Ground-Type."

=A new attack?= Delia pondered before sighing =Now why didn't you act like this when it came to cleaning your room or doing the chores without having to be bribed with a trip to the Ferris Wheel when the carnival came to town?=

I laughed sheepishly. I am so glad that there were memories of some stuff in this body to help me 'remember' them. Apparently, a carnival came by Pallet Town twice a year and Ash loved the Ferris Wheel the most. I sweatdropped when I then 'recalled' that it was because his mom got stuck on one with a friend of hers-ironically a Nurse Joy-on one that Ash was born on one. The three of us talked a bit more before 'Mom' had to go. Misty snickered when 'Mom' brought up changing my underwear every day.

"Your mom seems nice," Misty noted.

"You speak to anyone about what you just heard and I will tie you upside-down to a tree in just your skivvies," I scowled.

"Wow! Where did that come from?" Misty asked as she backed away a bit, not sure if my threat was real or not-which it was.

"Let's just say that there's some stuff no one back in Pallet knows about me," I replied as I looked at the clock and then up at the skylight.

It was around this time that Jessie and James appeared. When I heard the sirens alerting Team Rocket's been spotted, I knew they were coming. The skylight shattered as Koffing and Ekans emerged. Ekans was a snake, plain and simple. It was big, purple, and yellow with red eyes. Koffing looked like a big purple ball with craters around it, a skull image on its 'belly area,' and one big mouth with two eyes.

"Stormer, ThunderShock that Ekans!" I quickly ordered, "Marina, use Dragon Rush on Koffing!"

Stormer was the quicker of the two in acting. He quickly jumped and grabbed Ekans before unleashing his first electric attack. Ekans cried out before it managed to shake off Stormer. Dratinin's white bump and her 'fin ears' glowed purple/blue before she jumped at Koffing. The energy quickly covered her with energy and she rocketed at Koffing, slamming into it and knocking it away just before it could start using Smog like it was supposed to.

"Prepare for Trouble!"

Damn it, I forgot about their mottos…

"And make it Double!"

From a pair of ropes, the two lowered themselves down and I had to rub my eyes. Damn, she's got some large ones. Jessie had long red hair that went back and curled at the end with blue eyes. She wore a pair of black boots that went a few inches above her knees, a white skirt with a pair of black short shorts under them, a pair of black gloves that ended just below her elbows, and a white shirt with an 'R' with an opened at the bottom half of the 'R' to expose not only the black tee under it, but also her rather large…assets. God dammit, she's got the figure she had in the Electric Tale of Pikachu.

James was easy enough to recognize. He had shoulder-length blue hair and green eyes and reminded me of a Bishounen if he weren't on the side of evil. He wore a black shirt under a white Team Rocket uniform top, black gloves in his sleeves, white pants, a purple belt, and black boots.

"To protect the world from Devastation!"

"To unite all people within our Nation!"

"To denounce the evils of Truth and Love!"

"To extend our Reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"…That…" I facepalmed, "…That was just terrible."

"What?!" the two humans barked with their talking Pokémon.

"I said that you two should have that motto burned, buried, and just forgotten! Then again…even that wouldn't be a good enough punishment for it!"

"Ash, what are you saying?" Misty gulped as she saw Ekans and Koffing recovering.

"Simple; I'm making them annoyed and upset. Get them that way, they'll start making mistakes and give us either more time to get Nurse Joy to transfer the Pokémon to Pewter City or at least contact Officer Jenny," I whispered, "Stormer, Marina, get ready for a Double Battle!"

"Double Battle?" Misty raised a brow.

"They've got two Pokémon, I have two Pokémon," I replied, "They're all out at once, so it's two-on-two at the same time AKA a Double Battle."

"That…That's actually kinda smart," Misty admitted.

"Thanks," I beamed before my two Pokémon got ready.

"Hey! Dat twerp's got a Dratini!" Meowth exclaimed.

"And you are a talking Meowth," I pointed out, "Thanks for stating the obvious."

I quickly flipped out Dexter and aimed it at them.

** =EKANS, THE SNAKE POKÉMON. EKANS MOVES SILENTLY AND STEALTHILY AND CAN FREELY DETACH ITS JAW TO SWALLOW LARGE PREY WHOLE. WHEN FIRST BORN, IT HAS NO POISON SO ITS BITE IS PAINFUL, BUT HARMLESS. ABILITY: SHED SKIN. LEVEL: 6.=**

** =KOFFING, THE POISON GAS POKÉMON. ITS PURPLE SKIN IS AS THINK AS A STRAW AND STORES SEVEAL KINDS OF TOXIC GASES. THESE GASES ARE NATURALLY MADE IN ITS BODY BY MIXING TOXINS WITH GARBAGES WITH MORE BEING PRODUCED IN HIGHER TEMPERATURES. THESE GASES ARE MALODOROUS AND CAN CAUSE VARIOUS SIDE-EFFECTS, SUCH AS SNIFFLES, COUGHS, TEARY EYES, AND-IF INHALED FOR TOO LONG-POISONING. THESE GASES ALSO ALLOW KOFFING TO HOVER IN AIR. WHEN AGITATED, THE TOXIC GAS BECOMES MORE DANGEROUS AND WILL BEGIN TO BE EXPELLED THROUGH THE HOLES OF ITS BODY. ABILITY: LEVITATE. LEVEL: 6=**

"Stormer, when I give you the signal, I need a ThunderShock into Koffing's mouth," I ordered softly to my two Pokémon, "Marina, good job on showing you can use Dragon Rush, but I want you to use Thunder Wave on Ekans once I give the signal to Stormer."

Both Pokémon nodded. We quickly got into position.

"Ekans, go!" Jessie ordered.

"Koffing, smog now!" James ordered.

"Stormer, light it up!" I ordered.

"Pika…chuuuu!-!-!" Stormer cried out.

"Dratini-ni!" Marina cried out.

Her 'dot' glowed before firing a blast of lightning at Ekans, striking it and causing it to freeze up. Stormer's electrical attack shot right into Koffing's mouth just as it opened up.

"Hit the dirt!" I shouted before I pulled Misty behind the counter just before Koffing exploded.

Slowly, I peeked out from behind the counter. No sign of Team Rocket or their Pokémon, but the front of the Center needed to be repaired. I sighed in relief at seeing Marina and Stormer were just below the front of the counter before cringing at seeing they had a few injuries. It was then I hit my head on the counter.

"What's wrong now?" Misty asked before noticing the hole in the wall.

"I hope they don't expect me to pay for it," I sighed, "But the actual thing I'm hating at the moment is that I just realized that I revealed I have a Dratini in my Party. Those guys are gonna be coming after us sooner or later."

"…" I smirked as I watched Misty hit her head on the counter.

* * *

I should've just ran with Misty when we had the chance. We just spent the whole morning talking with Officer Jenny about what happened last night. I'm just glad that the EXP Points from that battle got my Pokémon up a level. I was also glad that, while it had a gaping hole in the entrance, the buffet that's free for all Trainers was still operational and was still serving breakfast. I placed my dishes at a counter labeled for it when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned and blushed a little at being close to Nurse Joy.

"I have a package for you," Nurse Joy noted as she held it up for me to see.

"Um…Th-Thank you," I stammered a little as I was given the package before freezing up when she kissed my cheek.

"And thank you for beating them last night."

I wasn't sure how long it was, but I do know it took me a bit to get moving again. I had to strike myself in the leg to deal with something I'd rather not explain, though. I went over to an empty table near the hole/entrance and opened the box. The contents within both startled me and gave me surprise and concern. It was a series of stones in various colors, but all had a 'wave' inside of them made of two colors.

"Mega Evolution Stones…" I gulped.

"Pika?" Stormer pondered as he looked at them.

"Stormer…These…These stones are powerful…" I gulped, a cold sweat forming on my forehead as I pulled out a small device for my wrist, "And this is a Mega Ring." I snapped it onto my wrist before Marina pulled a note out of the box.

I quickly read it. 'I bet you weren't expecting this. Well, **Xernas** and **Yvetal** told me that if I was going to really do this, then they wanted to let you have an advantage of sorts. So included with the **Mega Stones** and** Mega Ring** is a **Riolu** Egg. You just have to hatch it. Arceus. PS: Next time you open your backpack, it's gonna be big enough inside for all this and will seal up tightly so you don't lose anything and no water can get into it.'

I looked back in the box. Sure enough, in a container was an egg that was blue, yellow, and black. I discreetly hid the egg in my backpack along with the Mega Stones. I closed it and heard a small 'click.' I moved to open it and heard the 'click' again. So if they're giving me Mega Stones…I scowled. Something dangerous was coming after me. It was possibly the something that possibly sent that Dusknoir to kill Ash originally. But why so soon? Did they just want me prepared for anything? I'm not sure, but I plan to learn.

* * *

**Now this seems interesting, eh? Well, if you want it to become an actual story, then you need to send 15 reviews for this chapter. And by 'reviews,' I mean actual ones. Not just 'please publish this' or 'make more' or 'good job.' I want your honest opinion on these. I will not count any reviews that are not at least four sentences long and don't just sound like those three I mentioned or anything like them. So read and review. Remember: 15 reviews and this becomes an actual story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Story 2: Fruits Among Undead**

**This...This is something genuinely new. You see, it was just recent that I began playing this game called 'The Walking Dead Season 1' on my Kindle Fire. It really broke my heart with what Lee's fate was along with the fates of everyone in that game. So, I was hoping to try to do something to change it all. I don't own Kamen Rider nor the Walking Dead. Those go to their creative creators and the teams they work with to publish them to the audiences all over.**

* * *

Lee sulked quietly in the back seat of the cruiser. The iron of the handcuffs were still cold to his skin. He was on his way out of Atlanta, and straight to the nearest correctional facility for the rest of his life. His sentence had not been light; life in prison.

_'Doesn't get any worse than this,'_ He thought sullenly to himself.

As the cruiser drifted onto the highway, Lee took time to think of his family. His brother B. His mother and father in Macon. All of them at his parent's drugstore. Then his thoughts drifted to his wife, as Lee felt a mixture of sadness, anger, regret, and betrayal wash over him. Lee had no problem with his life the way it was, and couldn't help but feel cheated for what was happening to him. Not a single word had been spoken since the drive began, but as Lee made eye contact with the officer via the rear view mirror, he could almost feel a snide remark coming on.

"Well, I reckon you didn't do it then."

The cop bothered to strike up a conversation, and did it by taking a jab at Lee's current state. Lee was instantly irritated. The officer was an older fella with a southern undertone, but Lee sighed, and replied.

"Why do you say say that?" He responded, barely interested.

The officer smiled, "You know I've driven a bunch of fellas down to this here prison. Lord knows how many. Usually it's 'bout now I get the 'I didn't do it.'"

For a second, he almost sounded sincere in his inquiry. Lee thought about whatever dignity he had as a criminal.

"Not from me."

"'Cause guys in your position already said it enough?" The lawman smirked.

Lee rolled his eyes. Chatter and static began to build on the communicator.

=We got what looks like a...10-91…=

"I followed your case a bit, you bein' a Macon boy an' all." The officer talked over it.

"You're from Macon then?" Now Lee was intrigued.

"Yep. Came up to Atlanta to be a city cop in the seventies. Always wanted to work a murder case, like that senatorial mess you got yourself mixed up in...with all due respect. It's a real shame."

As the officer said so, Lee took notice of a speeding cruiser blazing down the opposite end of the highway; sirens blaring. He then turned his attention back to the cop, still telling his life story.

"Hell, the family used to be regulars up at your folks drug store right in downtown. Still there?"

Lee smiled as he was reminded of his family there, "Sure is."

"Good."

More chatter could be heard over the radio =Be advised, uh…=

"I got a nephew up at UGA. You teach there long?"

Maybe now the sarcastic cop was actually trying at a friendly discussion. Lee was glad to be on a topic he enjoyed.

"Going on my sixth year."

"You meet your wife in Athens?" Instantly, Lee felt sorrow, and slight agitation at the officer. He looked out the window, and didn't answer. "You wanna know how I see it?"

As Lee thought of what to say, several more cruisers sped toward the city, accompanied by some armored S.W.A.T cars. Lee didn't think much of them, and just shrugged.

"I got much choice?"

"Sure don't." As the officer was about to continue, he caught Lee's gaze through the mirror, and paused momentarily. "Regardless, could be you just married the wrong woman."

Lee could feel anger building up from the cop being continuously insensitive toward his situation, treating it like an everyday matter. Maybe the cop saw it that way, but Lee never thought he would be in this position. He was ready to snap back, but went with his better judgement, and held his toungue with a sigh. The radio fed more information.

=Riot in progress. All officers are available for incoming 217's. Rolling calls and dispatches to all locations= As the radio hushed, a chopper boomed overhead toward Atlanta, and Lee couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Any of that seem important to you?" Lee stated, nodding at the radio.

"All of it, but that box never shuts up. Sit in this seat and pay too much attention and you'll drive yourself crazy." The old timer grinned, the officer keeping the conversation going with a little story, "I'm drivin' this man once, he was the worst one. Wouldn't stop goin' on about how he didn't do it. He was an older fella. Big soft eyes behind a pair of smart folk glasses, and he's just wailin' back there, says it wasn't him. Cryin' and snottin' all over, right where you're sittin'."

Lee felt a little disgusted as he glanced at the seat. The chatter on the radio persisted. The officer shut it off so he could continue the story without interruption.

"Then before long, he starts kickin' the back of the seat like a fussy baby on an airplane. I tell 'em he's gotta stop, that that's government property, and I'll be forced to zap him otherwise. So he stops, and havin' exhausted all of his options, he starts cryin' out for his mama. 'Mama, it's all a big mistake! It wasn't me!'"

Lee couldn't help but feel slightly amused by the officer's mocking impersonation. The officer paused, and Lee felt inclined to ask.

"So did he do it?" The officer frowned, remembering the outcome of that trial.

"They caught the fucker red handed! Stabbin' his wife, cuttin' her up as the boys came through the door! He sits in my car screamin' bloody murder that it wasn't him! I think he actually believed it himself." Lee felt both pity, and discomfort for whoever the officer was talking about, and gave thanks that he wasn't like that, "It just goes to show, people will up and go mad when they believe their life is over."

Lee took a moment to wonder if his life was truly over or not, but quickly dismissed the dreadful thought. The officer decided to continue with another story, and took the time to look back at Lee.

"Oh, I got another good one for ya..." Lee squinted at the road ahead to see a small figure was crossing it. "...This one's a little bit less depressing, and a bit more hilarious..." Lee began to panic as he made out a person on the highway and they were closing in fast. "...If I do say so..."

Lee blurted the first thing that came to mind, "IN THE ROAD!"

But before the cop could react, a sick thud could be heard as the metal struck the pedestrian, followed by the screeching of the wheels as the officer struggled to get the cruiser under control. He jerked the wheel right, but couldn't get the vehicle to straighten out. The cruiser had too much momentum behind it as it smashed through the roadside guard, and tumbled downhill from the highway. The officer flailed about as his safety belt kept him in place. Every loose object in the car bounced around as gravity shifted in every direction. Lee was unfortunate to have no belt on, and was helplessly flung around in the back, while the cruiser continued to roll. Eventually, the metal deathtrap came to a halt. Lee faded in and out of consciousness, and faintly heard the sounds of a struggle. Screams and gunshots made up most of the noise while blurry figures sluggishly made their way down the hill towards the wreckage. Lee blacked out soon after, and dreamed about his old, normal, now very far away, life.

* * *

Groggy, confused, and disoriented, Lee finally awoke. He was laying on his back, staring at the roof of the car. He moved to make the feeling in his limbs return, and then noticed the cuffs still on his wrists. His mouth felt dry and his stomach groaned.

"...Ah...thirsty..." Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his lower body, "OW, Fuck! My leg!"

He looked to see a deep gash in his right upper leg, bleeding rather profusely. Lee looked behind him, and noticed he was laying against the left hand back seat door of the car. Upon further inspection, he spotted the officer out of the shattered window, lying motionless on the ground.

"Hey! Hey officer! Are you alright?! I'm still cuffed back here!" As Lee might have expected, there was no response, yet he tried again, hoping to have someone come to his aid, "OFFICER! That doesn't look good. He wasn't ejected from the car..."

He noticed the blood trail behind the cop, indicating that he could have been dragged. The officer may have been dragging himself, though, trying to find help but passed out from bloodloss. Lee turned his head back to the front, and looked at the opposite back seat door.

"Looks like I'm getting out of here on my own."

Lee readied himself, and kicked the window with as much strength as he could. A few cracks showed, encouraging him to continue. With a few more kicks, the window finally gave, allowing Lee to drag himself out.

Lee slid down the outside of the door, thanks to the car being off-balance. He found it extremely hard to stand because of his injury. His leg wouldn't support his weight, and he was forced to hobble his way around the car to get to the wounded lawman. After he was on steady ground, Lee noticed the officer's gun near the car, as well as a single shell. He didn't pay them much mind since his thoughts were focused on getting those chafing cuffs off. He limped slowly towards the policeman.

"Officer?"

Still no sign of life. Lee walked until he stood over the poor bastard, and spotted the keys on the officer's belt. He took them, and attempted to free himself. However, Lee was still shaken up pretty bad, and in a moment of clumsiness, dropped the keys near the cop's mouth.

"Shit..." He swore.

Lee wasn't sure what it was, but something made him fearful to pick the keys back up. He had already assumed the officer to be dead, and didn't like the idea of getting that close to him. Lee hastily picked the keys back up, and gave it a second try. After the cuffs were successfully removed, Lee rubbed his aching wrists in relief. Just past the focus of his own hand, Lee thought he saw movement from the lawman's hand. He then made out what he believed to be faint breathing.

"Uh...officer?" Without warning, the undead cop pounced, causing Lee to fall backwards, startled, "WHOA! HOLY SHIT!"

Lee had no time to stand, and backed away as fast as he could. The officer, now turned monster, slowly crept towards Lee. His entire body was pale while his eyes were a solid black with white dots in the middle.

"What the hell are you?!" Lee continued to back away until he hit the car.

He remembered the abandoned shotgun that lay to his left. He leaned over to grab the weapon, and then looked for the shell. The walker was closing in. He spotted the shell to his right, and panicked as he attempted to load it. His fingers fumbled about, and the shell slipped from his hand.

"Shit!"

The crawler was only a few feet away, snarling wildly. Lee grabbed the shell, and steadied himself as the single shot entered the chamber. He cocked the gun, and took aim.

"Don't make me do this!" The officer took no heed to Lee's warning, and moved even closer; his eyes glazed, and lifeless.

More foul wretched animal sounds escaped his mouth. In a terrifying combination of shock, fear, and panic, Lee pulled the trigger. The loud pop of the gun was coupled with the utter destruction of the officer's head. The entire area above the jaw had gone in each direction, leaving the walker to drag himself another centimeter or two, and once again, lay motionless. Lee noticed he wasn't breathing, and exhaled sporadically. He looked at the deadly tool he had just used, and shook his head in disbelief. After discarding the weapon, he stared at what was left of the lawman's face, while a steady pool of blood formed. He screwed up his face as he sniffed the air.

"Ugh...his skin's all rotten, and he smells like shit. What the hell is this?" Lee knew he was dead, but any rational thinking was anything but present at this moment, "Are you dead? HEY! ARE YOU DEAD?!"

Lee didn't really expect a reply, but was still processing what had just happened. He looked away from the corpse, and spotted a figure past the trees, standing on a small hill. Excited to see someone alive, Lee tried to get their attention.

"HELP! Go get someone! There-There's been a shooting!" Lee watched as the figure slowly disappeared from view.

As Lee pondered what to do next, he heard rustling coming from the shrubs somewhere around him. He looked to his right, but saw nothing. As he looked to his left, he was mortified by what he saw. Two more walkers, making their way towards him. Adrenaline ran through Lee's body as he wasted no time in standing, making sure not to worsen his leg injury as he did so. Lee started to hobble forward, and didn't take his eyes off of the snarling creatures. Because of this, Lee tripped over the dead officer, giving the walkers time to catch up. Lee pushed himself to stand quicker this time, and paid for it as a fresh wave of pain shot through his leg. He limped hastily past the ground where the officer had originally been.

As he turned his head left, he was shocked to see even more monsters appear out of the woods, their complexion, and glazed eyes just as bad as the officers. He quickened his pace, and rounded a tree, where yet another walker sat. Both of his hands were missing, and he snarled like a rabid dog. Lee only glanced at him for a split second as he muscled his way up a small hill. As he neared the top, his leg gave out, and again he fell. The walkers were closing in behind him. Lee continued the rest of the way on his hands and knees until finally, he reached the top. A tall wooden privacy fence was yards away, and the walkers were even closer. Lee hobbled as fast as his legs would let him. If he wasted any more time, the creatures would have him before he could make it over.

He glanced back one last time, and saw more walkers than he'd care to count. At last he reached the fence, and used only his arms, and one leg to scale the boundary seconds before the walkers could get there. Lee thrusted himself over the top, and landed awkwardly on his rear. Still unconvinced that he was safe he backed up along the grass until he bumped into the side of a patio. He cringed as he could hear the monsters pounding on the fence. His attention was brought to a few gunshots far off into the distance, and took it as a blessing since the walkers left him alone, and went in search for the source of the noise. Lee gave an exhausted sigh, and slowly stood. To his left was a sturdy treehouse, complimenting the rather large home next to it. He had found his way into someone's back yard.

"Hello? Anybody?"

Lee thanked God for the peaceful time to just look around the suburban yard. He decided to check the treehouse before trying the actual house. Better safe than sorry in his opinion. Looking at the tea set at the base of it, Lee thought about if he had some bourbon, he could have a drink from one of the cups. Looking up at the treehouse, he focused on it.

"Anybody up there?"

No response. Lee walked over to the steps that led onto the patio, but not before glancing into the neigborhood to see wrecked cars that littered the street. He limped over to the sliding glass door, and peered inside.

"Hello? Anybody home? I need a little help." He softly knocked on the glass, and waited, but to his dismay, no one answered so he tried a second time. "Hello?" Now he was getting aggravated. "Rng. There's something going on here." Not left with many options, Lee took it upon himself to slide the door open before he cautiously stepped in, "I'm coming in. Don't shoot, okay."

Not the best greeting, but at the time, it seemed appropriate. Lee slid the door closed behind him, and yet again his leg contracted with agony.

"Ow, shi...Hello? I'm not an intruder...or one of them."

As he scanned the room, he was met with overturned furniture, static on the television, and a sickening pool of blood at the entrance of the kitchen. Lee grimaced at the sight.

"These people might need more help than I do," he muttered.

He walked over to the nearest counter to find an open coloring book. On the page was an colorless unicorn. Half of the grass that it stood on was colored, but that was about all. It killed Lee to think that a child could be mixed up in anything like this, as he continued to search the house. He picked up a strange pair of items. One was a silver lock with a melon on the front. The actual lock part of it was black with a black button on the side of it. The other was a black item trimmed in gold. On the right side of it-if it was facing away from him-was a lever of sorts shaped like a sword or a little knife.A silver piece was extended near the middle with a hole in the silver that may have fit the black part of the melon lock. He tried the television, keeping the two items with him, to see if the news could help, but to add to his disappointment, every channel was static. Lee noticed that a shelf of sorts was used to barricade the stairs, and was going to investigate when he heard the beep of an answering machine.

He tracked the sound to a phone resting on an end table, just around the corner from the kitchen. A red "3" blinked on and off. In hopes to find out whose house he was in, and maybe some way of figuring out what was happening, he pressed the play button.

=Three new messages= The machine spoke =Message one. Left at 5:43 p.m.: Hey Sandra, this is Diana. We're still in Savannah= The voice belonged to a woman =Ed had a little incident with some crazy guy near the hotel, so we had to get him back to the ER and have it checked out. Anyway, he's not feeling well enough to drive back tonight, so we're staying an extra day. Thanks so much for looking after Clementine, and I promise we'll be back in time before your spring break= A brief pause =Message two. Left at 11:19 p.m.: Oh my God, finally!= Still the same woman, supposedly the mother =I don't know if you've tried to reach us; all the calls are getting dropped= Lee sensed the worry in her tone, unaware of the black and silver item he had pressed against his waist firmly attaching to it with a gold belt, the black faceplate on the left side changing to reveal the side-view of a white helmet/mask with something in the background =They're not letting us leave, and aren't telling us anything about Atlanta. Please, please, just leave the city and take Clementine with you back to Marietta. I've got to get back to the hospital. Please let me know that you're safe= Another pause =Message three. Left at 6:51 a.m.: Clementine? Baby…= The woman sounded like she was on the verge of tears =...If you can hear this, call the police. That's 9-1-1. We love you...We love you...We love y…=

She was cut off by the beep. Chills ran down Lee's spine as the last message was given, the new buckle he wore all but forgotten by that point. He knew now for sure that whatever was happening, it wasn't just happening in Atlanta. He examined a family portrait that was propped up next to the phone. In the picture was your typical dad, mom, and child photo. Lee noticed the family was African-American, much like himself. He set the frame down, and thought about leaving. Before he could take a step, he heard the voice of a young girl emanate from the kitchen, but the voice was staticky.

"Huh?"

Lee proceeded into the kitchen, making sure to sidle around the blood, but saw no one. He opened one of the drawers to find an abandoned walkie-talkie. Hoping for a live soul to talk to, Lee took it, and went to look out of the glass door.

"...Hello?" He released the talk button.

=You need to be quiet=

Finally, a response. Lee recognized the voice as the same little girl. He moved away from the door, and pushed talk.

"Who is this?"

=My name's Clementine. What's yours?=

"Hi, Clementine. I'm Lee." He had made a guess it would be her. Wanting to know if she might have more insight, he asked about her family. "Where are your parents?"

=They took a trip and left me with Sandra. They're in Savannah, I think. Where the boats are= As Clementine answered, Lee made his way back into the kitchen.

"Are you safe?"

=I'm outside in my treehouse. They can't get in= Lee glanced out of the kitchen window to see the entrance into the treehouse.

"That's smart." Lee could barely see the entrance open, as Clem peeked out.

=See? Can you see me? I can see you through the window=

Lee put on a friendly smile, and waved to her. Clementine was a healthy looking kid adorning a white and purple cap with a purple "D" on the front. Clementine, from her point of view, could see something creeping up on Lee. She panicked, giving a scream as a warning while closing the entrance. Lee's smile vanished, and he turned to see a zombified Sandra lunge at him. She grabbed him, but Lee was able to keep her from getting fatally close. Lee struggled to get the upper hand, and shoved the walker onto the oven. Lee turned and fled, but had forgotten about the pool of blood that stained the marble floor. He slipped, and smacked his noggin hard on the counter.

He shook his head to focus his vision, only to see Sandra crawling towards him. Lee reacted by kicking the snarling sub-human away, giving him time to stand. Sandra caught up fast, and grabbed his leg, causing him to stumble and fall just a few feet away from the sliding door. Sandra grabbed at Lee's legs, breathing in and out in a raspy choking manor, hunger driving her forward. Lee gave her a clean left hook, making sure she kept her distance while he slid back towards the door. Sandra was quick to recover, and in no time, was greedily grasping Lee's legs again. Punching her once more, he unintentionally pressed a side of the lock he was holding.

**=MELON=**

A small pulse raced out of the lock and knocked Sandra to the other side of the house. Looking down at the lock and then at the buckle, he noticed the back of the lock seemed to look like it'd fit into it. He quickly put it into the slot and locked it into the metal piece on the belt.

**=LOCK ON=**

Above him, a zipper appeared as music began to come out of his buckle, earning Sandra's attention once more. Looking at her, he was unaware of a zipper appearing in the air above him while Clementine, having run in with a hammer, saw it and awed at the zipper 'unzipping' the sky above Lee in a circle, opening to reveal some sort of forest and a large, metal melon. Turning to see, Clementine, his hand brushed the 'knife' on his device and it 'chopped' the lock, opening it up to reveal two images; the inside of a melon and a melon-themed shield.

**=SOIYA!=**

The melon landed on Lee's head, making Clementine gasp. Gold dust-like energy appeared and covered Lee's body, forming a white bodysuit themed after a Warring States samurai's mesh clothing. The shoulders, wrists, ankles, and lower legs all sported bits of gold in various details while the outer arms and legs had black scale-like designs. Inside the 'melon,' Lee was looking around in shock as his head was engulfed in a mask/helmet. It was primarily white with a gold crest resembling a moon on its side and a leaf-like visor on both eyes while the mouth area was covered in metal to resemble fangs. The back of the helmet then gained melon-colored armor with the top sporting a piece of green metal resembling a melon's stem while the sides of his helmet now had gold pieces on them. The two 'leaves' that made his visor sported an inside resembling a slice of melon.

**=MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!=**

With the call, the 'melon' opened up and began to fold down, revealing his new helmet. The 'melon' then connected itself to his body, transforming into upper-body armor that was melon-colored and gold-colored. The shoulders sported a pair of spikes while his right hand gained a large, melon-colored shield. The middle of the shield resembled the gold armor on his legs with the upper part of it resembling his horns. In-between the 'horns' was a silver pair of them that turned into a circle resembling a full moon made of a melon. On his left hip was a strange weapon. It appeared to be a black katana that was perfectly sharpened with a gold pulling item on the strangely-shaped guard. Pulling it out, Lee noticed that it was shaped like a gun with the gold piece acting as a 'hammer' of sorts. Clementine's scream earned his attention quickly and he looked to see Sandra approaching once more. Quickly swinging, his eyes widened as the blade easily cut through the undead's head like a hot knife through warmed up butter. Slowly getting up, Lee looked at Clementine and back at the now-dead corpse of Sandra, her fluids pooling around the upper half of her body as the top half of her head was nowhere close to her.

"Man…" Lee whispered before looking at Clementine, "Hi there."

"Did you kill it?" She asked fearfully before Lee examined the mutilated head, disgusted.

"I think something else did. Before me, I think," Lee recognized a lot of familiar characteristics to a certain pop culture monster.

"I heard her scream two nights ago. Maybe one of the monsters got her."

Lee was surprised to hear that this had been going on for that long already. How long had he been knocked out for?

"Two nights ago? Yeah, that's probably what happened," Lee took a knee to be face-to-face with her, "You've been all by yourself through this?"

Clementine frowned, "Yeah. I want my parents to come home now."

"I think that might be a little while, you know?" Lee remembered the urgency that had come with the voice messages.

"Oh..." Clem looked away from him, not liking his response.

Lee moved closer to reassure her. He couldn't leave this little girl all alone. Especially not with this sort of situation going on.

"Look, I don't know what happened. But I'll look after you until then." Lee had found this girl on her own, and with her parents so far away, there was no way he was leaving her here alone. Clementine looked around, and then to Lee, "What should we do now?"

Lee looked outside to find the sun steadily setting. He didn't think it to be smart looking for help in the dark. Even with this strange armor that he had gotten, he wasn't sure that it'd be completely safe against whatever was going on.

"We need to find help before it gets dark," Lee replied as Clem turned to look outside.

"Yeah, it's not safe at night." She concurred.

Lee stood, and took hold of Clementine's hand, "Let's go. Stay close to me. My shield with protect us, okay?"

"It kinda looks like a moon," Clementine noted as she looked at the top of the shield.

"Yeah. It sorta does," Lee chuckled, recalling an anime he had gotten into before everything began to go downhill for him, "Maybe...**Zangetsu**. When I'm in this armor, you can call me Zangetsu. Okay, Clem?"

Clementine nodded. They stepped outside, and Clementine stopped to slide the door shut behind her. She jogged down the steps into the yard, and waited for Zangetsu by the shed. Zangetsu walked past the shed and down the walkway to the gate that led into the neighborhood. He was surprised that he wasn't even feeling any pain from his leg. Did the armor do something to heal it or stop the pain? Two guys stood in the road, attempting to push one of the wrecked cars aside. The larger of the two spoke.

"Aw, maaan. I ain't never gettin' home to mama at this rate." His voice had somewhat of a southern drawl. The skinnier one joined in.

"This sucks."

"It's hot dish night." The first grumbled.

Neither had taken notice of Zangetsu or Clementine. The melon-themed warrior went to open the gate, but noticed Clementine had a worried look about her. He kneeled down again.

"What's the matter?" He asked, concerned as Clem cupped her hands together and glanced into her backyard.

"Should I stay?" She asked softly.

"What?" Zangetsu raised a brow behind his mask.

"I don't want to sleep in the treehouse tonight, but I don't know if I should leave." She gazed at her fort, "What if my parents come home?"

Zangetsu wasn't sure how to answer. He had no way of knowing the fate of her parents, but doubted their return. He tried to avoid the question, sparing a harsh answer.

"I won't leave you alone." He responded indirectly, but Clementine smiled, "My shield will protect you no matter what happens. I'll even cut the moon in two just to make sure you stay safe."

"Let's go somewhere safe that's close, ok?" She had hopes that they would at least return to the neighborhood.

"Okay," Zangetsu nodded, "But now I need to figure out how to get out of this armor."

"Maybe doing what you did in reverse?" Clementine offered.

Looking down, Zangetsu noticed the lock. He reset it and removed it from his buckle. The armor glowed softly before shattering, revealing Lee once more. Looking down at his leg, his eyes widened to see that there wasn't even a sign of it having been injured. Ddi the armor heal him? Come to think of it, he wasn't even hungry anymore. Looking at the lock, he frowned in confusion. Just what was it? Deciding to think about it later, Clementine pushed the large gate open while Lee got the stranger's attention.

"Hey, man!" The duo jumped at their sudden appearance.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"Don't eat us!" They backed away, frightened, as Lee put his hands out to show that they meant no harm.

"We're not going to hurt you." Lee's assurance got the two strangers to ease up a bit.

"Phew, thought for a second you and the little one were both going to give us the chomp," the skinny one shivered at the thought as he spoke.

"We need help." Lee stated, hoping the two strangers could give them any kind of assistance or information.

"Are you trying to get out of here? Because you should be. Those things are all over the damn place. I haven't seen anything as gnarly as this neighborhood since downtown Atlanta, fifteen miles back," The skinny one replied, "I'm Shawn, Shawn Greene."

"Lee Moon. This is Clementine," Lee introduced himself and Clementine, noticing that Clem was timid and looking away.

The larger fella took a knee, and raised his hand in greeting, "I'm Chet."

Clementine shied away behind Lee. She wasn't really sure what to do, but she trusted Lee. Shawn was the next to speak.

"We shouldn't be out in the open like this. How about you help us clear the way and we'll take you and your daughter down to my family's farm. It should be safer there," Lee took note of what Shawn said, and shook his head.

"I'm not her dad. I'm..." Lee saw no point in lying, besides, Clem would know he'd be stretching the truth if he did, "...Just some guy that was passing through when this all went down."

"Some guy?" Shawn squinted.

"Yeah."

"She's alone?" Shawn took another look at Clem, amazed that she had been on her own.

"Not anymore," Lee assured, "I promised her I would be her shield and protect her as best as I can." 'Especially with this strange belt and lock.'

"Let's get going. Staying put for too long is a mistake." Lee nodded in agreement to Shawn's statement, and looked to Clem.

"What do you wanna do?"

Clementine thought of what her parents might want her to do, but even then she was unsure, "I..."

She looked woefully at her home. She just wasn't sure. But before she could make up her mind, a familiar, but unsettling noise could be heard.

"Them monsters comin'! We gotta go!" Chet said in a panicked whisper.

Shawn shifted back over to the wrecked car, and put his hands on the front, "Lee, quick! Let's go!"

Shawn kept his voice low, but it was in vain. The walkers had already seen them, and would be on them in a matter of seconds. Lee narrowed his eyes.

"You two get the car out of the way, I'll distract them," Lee ordered.

"What?" Chet gawked as Lee unlocked his lock.

**=MELON=**

Tossing the lock into the air, the zipper appeared in the sky and opened the forest view once more, letting the armor come out. Catching it, Lee then inserted the lock into his belt and locked it in.

**=LOCK ON=**

Before it could even play it's tune, Lee chopped the fruit open.

**=SOIYA!=**

Charging, the Melon Arms landed and changed into his bodysuit before opening up.

**=MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!=**

Zangetsu pulled his sword out and sliced through the closest heads. He swung his shield and noticed that the sides were actually quite sharp considering that the shield just cut through the head of one of the undead. He blinked and time seemed to have gone to a pure crawl for everything around him.

_"It is not too late to throw it away,"_ a voice spoke.

Looking around, Zangetsu finally saw something. It was a young girl in a white dress and black boots. He noticed one eye was brown while the other was a soft red.

"I'm sorry, little lady, but I can't throw this away," Zangetsu apologized as he motioned to his belt, "This...I need this to protect her."

The girl seemed sullen at that before she handed him a small chain with more of the strange locks on it.

_"I hope you know that denying this opportunity will have consequences later in life,"_ the girl informed.

"Yeah. But for now, I want to live in the present and protect her," Zangetsu informed.

He blinked and time resumed. He could tell it when one of the undead tackled him over. He stabbed it through the gut with his blade before throwing it to the side. Pulling on the gold piece, the middle of the blade lit up. His finger felt a trigger and he pressed it. An energy shot came from the guard and blew the head of the stabbed undead to pieces.

"...I love this thing," Zangetsu admitted before firing at another.

As Zangetsu distracted the undead, Chet, Shawn, and Clementine were able to push the car out of the way. Zangetsu noticed it and ran over, helping Clementine into the truck before getting into the back with Chet.

"Drive, man, drive!" Zangetsu shouted as he shot another undead.

No other words were needed as Shawn turned it on. Shawn put it into gear, and peeled out, scraping the bumper against the wrecked car, but making it through regardless. Clementine stared out of the back window, leaving behind her home, and any hope of her parents finding her there.

"For just some guy, it seems like you've saved a bunch of lives today." Shawn complimented, glancing at the mirror at Zangetsu.

"...Yeah," Zangetsu nodded as he dismissed his armor.

"What is that anyway?" Chet asked.

"No idea. Found it in Clementine's house, but it didn't have this image on it," Lee informed as he pointed at the faceplate.

"Looks Japanese," Chet noted.

"I never saw it before," Clementine noted.

"Well, we can figure it out while we're driving," Shawn offered, "Got anything else like it?"

"Y-Yeah," Lee replied before showing one of the locks the girl had given him before realizing something, "Did any of you see a girl with blond hair, a white dress, and two different colored eyes?"

"No," Chet replied.

"Sorry," Shawn added as Clementine shook her head.

Lee nodded slowly. They must have been distracted with the car. Looking down, he looked at the lock he had taken out. It was different from the Melon lock since it had a wheel with a cherry blossom in the middle with the black replaced with gold on the lock parts of it. On the bottom were the letters and numbers 'LV-01.' Gazing at the sky, he wondered just what was going on, because he was still trying to figure it all out.

* * *

**A zipper closes over the scene, revealing the emblem of Zangetsu. Before it were some Lockseeds.**

**Lockseeds: Melon, Mango, Budou, Ichigo, Suika, Sakura Hurricane**

* * *

***chuckles* Bet you were all thinking he'd be Gaim, right? Nope! Plus, I just think it'd be interesting to see how'd people react to his human appearance if they meet him as Zangetsu first. Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15, then this becomes an actual story.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so with all of them being more than just one sentence or statement and actualy try to at least ask something about the story-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Story 3: Neon Genesis Transformers**

**This was actually in some old files I had wrote around the time I got Fall of Cybertron on the exact day it came out (thank Kami for pre-orders since it gave me a classic AKA G-1 Optimus Prime for the game, two G-1 Weapons, and an alternate pallet for Bruticus). Kinda surprised me a few months back when my friend OverNerd03 showed me a link to a toy release of Optimus in the colors of Unit 01 and it made me think of this story and how I never published it.**

* * *

***Millennia Ago (Megatron and Optimus Prime)***

**OP: Cybertron…our home…For generations, it has been a peaceful world until Pride and a Lust for Power divided us. Now we fight…enemies who were once our brothers. Our tragic war has ravaged Cybertron.**

**M: It is a necessary war for us to regain our former Glory.**

**OP: The Autobots will never sacrifice Freedom.**

**M: The Decepticons will bring this world to order!**

**OP: Our defeat would mean the end of everything.**

**M: My victory will mark a brilliant new beginning!**

**OP: One shall Stand…**

**M: One shall Fall!**

* * *

***?-?-? Time Later (Optimus Prime)***

* * *

**Cybertron has fallen. Megatron was able to corrupt the core with Dark Energon. Though we, the Autobots, were able to purify it, the core must shut down for millions of cycles, during which Cybertron will be left cold and barren. The core of Cybertron has left me with a portion of its Spark in order to make sure Cybertron survives, declaring it the Matrix of Leadership. Our planet was dying. We had no choice but to take to the stars. I ordered the evacuation of all Autobot cities, effective immediately. Many brothers were lost that day…but thanks to our combined efforts, many more would live to find a home elsewhere. I commissioned a new galactic transport for us…an Ark, in which we would make our journey through the stars. No matter where we went, Cybertron would be with us. We fought off Megatron and the Decepticons even after leaving Cybertron, more lives of our brothers lost in it, for years until a stray shot struck the core of Megatron's vessel, the Nemesis, causing it to form a black hole from Dark Energon, many of us believing that it had taken out all the lives on board. Now all that remained of the crew of the Ark was small while the Ark was losing power, the program 'Teletraan I' deleted by Soundwave. We were able to create T-AI, Tactical Artificial Intelligence, to conserve the remaining power and put us near a planet that would have the necessary sources for us to create Energon from. With that, I ordered the crew to go into Stasis until further notice. I hope we find a good home.**

* * *

***Year: 2004 4 Years since Second Impact***

* * *

A young woman, around 16, walked along a dirt road. She had finally convinced herself to go out and look around since Second Impact. She kept her auburn hair somewhat short, ending just below her neck. She wore a pair of yellow short-shorts that showed the curves on the lower half of her figure, a pink and white sleeveless shirt that hugged her ample bosom, and pink fingerless gloves that ended just below her elbows. As she looked around with her ivory-blue eyes, she took in the landscape. Though the coastal areas were altered significantly, most of the gentle parts of the land were still there.

Her ears picked up the sounds of sobs. She looked out to see a wooden bench nearby and she looked at the sight in curiosity. A little child was on it, sobbing. He was no older than four with short black hair. He wore a red shirt and blue shorts while a single suitcase was beside the bench. The young woman slowly walked over to the child and knelt down a bit.

"Are you okay, little one?" she asked, making the boy look up at her with tears still falling.

"M-M-My daddy…"

"Hm?"

"H-h-he left m-me b-b-behind!"

_'What kind of father abandons their child?'_ the young adult thought as she gently picked up the boy and put him on her lap, letting him crying into her chest, "What about your mother?"

"M-Mommy got e-e-eaten!"

"What?"

"A…A big p-purple m-m-monster ate h-her!" the boy sniffled.

A purple monster? She never heard of an animal with purple fur or skin before except in anime, novels, and Manga. She held him close, letting him cry until he started to hiccup, the tears stopping at last.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"D-daddy said th-that someone's gonna c-come and pick m-me up, but h-he hasn't come."

"Have you been here for long?"

"Uh-huh. H-Hours…"

_'This man…He better never meet me…'_ the female thought, "Can I know your name?"

"S-Shinji…Ikari Shinji…"

"My name is Tai, but you can call me 'Ai-chan,' okay?" the girl smiled softly at him.

_'She…She has Mommy's smile…'_ Shinji thought as he nodded, exhaustion hitting him at last from his sobbing.

Tai gently picked him up and grabbed his suitcase. She was going to do a bit of research on the bastard who abandoned little Shinji and what the 'purple monster' was. She refused to let the little boy be alone. He needed a role model…a family. And she knew just the 'family' to do so…with the perfect role model in her opinion.

* * *

***Present Day: 2015 15 Years after Second Impact***

* * *

"I mean _seriously_! Who the Inferno just abandons their kid for ten years, leaves not a single letter for them during that time, and the only time they do, it's just the word 'Come' with an address and a picture of a woman!-?" Tai fumed.

Beside the 16-year-old-looking woman, a 15-year-old Shinji shook his head at her. Since his 'adoption' by her 'family' ten years ago, he had been learning so much. He was a bit sad that not everyone could come. Still…he and his 'big sister' were enjoying the nice ride in a yellow 2008 Concept Camaro with two black bars going down the middle.

"Oneechan," Shinji spoke gently as he took her right hand and gently rubbed the back of it with his thumb, "It's okay. We always had a feeling he'd try something like this. We'll just go down to Tokyo-3, see what he wants, and we'll be on our way."

"I still say we should cover him in Bumblebee Coolant then take a match and burn him," Tai pouted before nuzzling Shinji, "I don't want to see you get hurt again by that man."

Shinji blushed since his head was stuck between her mounds. The radio crackled as the song 'Accidentally in Love' began to play. Shinji whacked it with his shoe and the station changed to 'Why Can't We Be Friends?' as the shoe fell to the floor of the car. Shinji really wanted to curse out his 'brother' about that jab…but he was losing oxygen and fast.

"N-Neechan…" Shinji mumbled.

"Oh! Whoops!" Tai blushed as she released a red-faced Shinji before the radio played 'Mr. Boombastic.'

"Oi!" Shinji snapped at the radio as a laugh track went off on it, "So who are we supposed to look for?"

"Her name is Misato," Tai noted, "She's twenty-nine years of age and her father, along with her, was on the expedition in the former North Pole when Second Impact happened…she was the only survivor of the team from what we were able to uncover." A wolf whistle went off on the radio followed by a howl, "Will you stop that?"

"He's got a point," Shinji noted as he looked at the picture of a violet-haired woman with a perfect hourglass figure in nothing but a tight-fitting bikini, posing sexually for the camera, on a beach that came with the letter.

"I've got the bigger breasts. She's just a D while I'm an I…" Tai fumed to herself, making Shinji's nose bleed a little at seeing her grope herself, as 'Disco Inferno' began to play on the radio.

"…" Shinji shut off the radio and it turned back on, playing a raspberry, "You little stinker, Niisan…"

"We're here," Tai noted as the car stopped outside a train station…seconds before a red colored version of their car skidded to a halt, parts of its frame dented and scratched while the driver was the woman in the picture, wearing a blue uniform.

"…" Shinji locked his door and rolled up the window as Tai got out of the car.

"Yo!" Tai called as she walked up to Misato, "You're Misato, right? The one in charge of picking up my little brother?"

"Hm? What are you doing out here? Don't you know an Angel's out and about?-!" Misato demanded.

"I am Ikari Shinji's older sister," Tai replied with a hand on her hip, "He's over in the car and I think you've frightened him with that entrance."

"Wait. You mean that you were the one who picked up Shinji?" Misato blinked.

"Yep," Tai replied.

"Sorry about that driving. I'm still not used to the steering," Misato apologized as the door opened and the car sent Shinji tumbling out.

"Jerk!" Shinji snapped as the door closed, shaking his fist at the car.

"I take it that you're Ikari Shinji?" Misato asked.

"You got it," Shinji groaned as he stretched.

"I'm…"

"Katsuragi Misato, age 29, only child," Shinji finished for her as he tried to open the door again, "Come…on! Slag…"

"I'll follow you in our car," Tai spoke, "So lead the way, Misato-sama. Shinji-kun, you're with her."

"Oh come on!" Shinji complained, "Why am I getting punished because of Bee?"

"I'll punish him later," Tai smirked.

Shinji muttered under his breath. If she wasn't cute and his 'sister,' he'd… He sighed as he got into the car. Not even a second in and Shinji was screaming in pure fear with Tai barely keeping up in the car. As they drove, a nearby building was destroyed by a massive arm. Tai paled a bit at seeing a massive creature with a white head and a strange core on its torso.

"By the Matrix…Just what are we getting ourselves into?" Tai gulped.

=We're here! We're queer! Get used to it!=

"I didn't need that second part," Tai frowned at the radio, having played a line from 'Family Guy.'

Up ahead, Shinji looked over the monster and saw a large aircraft approaching. He looked ahead to see they were coming up to a short tunnel in the mountainside.

"Misato-sama, I really think we should stop in that tunnel up ahead," Shinji advised.

"Huh? What? We have to get you back to HQ!"

"Trust me on it, I just saw a bomber heading towards that thing…"

"It's called an 'Angel,' Shinji."

"…Really? An 'Angel?' Whoever came up with that should be slapped silly," Shinji noted, "But seriously, stop inside that tunnel. If a bomber's here, then that means they're going to drop something big on that thing. Maybe a N2 Mine?"

Misato paled. She had 57 payments left on this car. There would be no way in hell she was going to pay for a pile of scrap! She gunned the motor and stopped in the tunnel. Tai barely got in as the N2 went off.

"They're going to have to redraw Japan's map again…aren't they?" Tai asked as she poked her head out of the yellow car.

"Most likely," Shinji replied before he sighed, "I really need a cup of hot chocolate right about now…extra foam."

Tai rolled her eyes. It was a habit he had. Whenever he was stressed, he either had a cup of hot chocolate or, Primus forbid, warm milk with honey stirred into it. She stuck her tongue out at recalling that prank and how she had to spend five Groons in the lavatory thanks to someone putting laxatives into her first try of it. She did promise Shinji she'd try it one more time, but she didn't specify when. She gave a small smile as she recalled how he told her that milk with honey was the drink he shared with his mother in terms of liking. She shook her head of the thoughts and followed after Misato and a screaming Shinji.

* * *

A woman in her thirties stood before a pair of steel doors. She wore a fitting blue dress that ended at an inch above her knees, revealing red stockings that went into her red shoes with heels, and a lab coat. She ruffled her shoulder-length blond hair as she watched the doors with her blue eyes. The doors slid open to reveal Misato, Tai, and Shinji.

"...Are all the women here former models?" Shinji had to ask.

"..." the woman blushed just faintly at the comment.

"Ritsuko, why are you here?" Misato asked.

"You were going to get lost down here…again," the woman replied, causing Tai to giggle as Misato glared at the two.

"Whatever! Let's just get going!" Misato snapped.

"She kinda reminds me of those data tracks they have on Airachnia," Tai whispered playfully.

"Shh," Shinji quieted her, "We can't let them hear about that."

* * *

"Shinji, what you are about to see is completely classified. Same with your…_sister_…here."

"Understood."

"I'd get in trouble if I said 'no,' so I guess I'll have to say 'yeah,'" Tai shrugged.

They had been walking for a long time, seemingly getting nowhere till they got to this door. It opened slowly to reveal a room full of people working in, on, or around what stood proudly at about 40 ft. tall in the center of the back wall. It had purple and orange plating on it with bits of peach-color seen through openings on it.

"What is that?" Tai asked, her eyes widening, as Shinji began to tremble at the sight of it.

"This is our last defense against the enemy that is currently above us," Ritsuko explained, "This is the Humanoid Battle Robot Evangelion Unit 01."

"And what does this have to do with me?" Shinji asked as he began to move behind his 'sister.'

"Unfortunately, only specific people can pilot the Evangelion," Misato answered, "We don't know why, we only know that that's the way it is. You are one of those few people."

"So…" Shinji growled, "My father called me here just to pilot this?"

"Correct," a voice replied.

Everyone looked up at the railing. There, stood a man with black hair, glasses, and a lab coat. Under the coat was a black button shirt and black pants. He kept a neutral expression, yet glared at Shinji and Tai.

"It has been a long time."

"Not long enough!" Shinji yelled, "You bastard! Do you honestly think you can dump me and then call me back like some dog?-! To pilot that…that…that _monster_ that _ate Mom_!-? You have no right!"

"I am your father. I have every right," the man stated calmly.

"_You_ are no father of mine, _Gendo Rokubungi_," Shinji growled, "You don't even deserve my mother's name." He turned on his heels, walking away, "We're leaving, Oneechan."

"I see…then I have no other choice. I have no further need of you. Go home…!" Shinji froze up at what Gendo just ordered, "Cowards are useless in a battle where man's future is at stake."

Shinji trembled a bit. He…He wouldn't cry…not in front of that man. Tai gently held his hand, making him look up at her. Gendo pressed a button on a nearby console.

"Fuyutsuki…wake Rei!" Gendo ordered.

=Can you use her?=

"She's not dead," Gendo informed, "Have her transported here."

Tai had a bad feeling in her gut. As Ritsuko began to have the systems of the Technorganic re-calibrated for this 'Rei,' Tai just glared at Gendo as he returned it. He had no idea who this was, but she was partly responsible for Shinji not going with his 'relatives' ten years ago. A nearby set of doors slid open and Tai and Shinji felt their eyes widening madly. There, resting upon a medical cart, was a girl Shinji's age. Her eyes were a gentle shade of red while her skin was pale and her hair an icy-blue. The only thing she wore was a skin-tight white jumpsuit with baby-blue designs. Shinji blushed as he noticed that while she was his age, she was beautiful like Tai. But what he focused more on was that her arms and head had bandages, her left eye covered while her right arm was in a cast.

"Rei…our only backup is useless. You must pilot the Eva again," Gendo ordered.

"Yes…sir…" the teen whispered before she began to try and get up, "Nngh…! Ahhh…"

"Stay down," Shinji ordered in a gentle tone as he gently pushed her back down before glaring at Gendo.

'I can't believe it…How can someone in her condition be able to pilot that thing?' Tai thought, 'Is it neural interfaced like in AVATAR?'

"Shinji…Do you see how it is now…? We need you," Misato spoke gently, "But if you're not going to pilot the Eva, you'll just be in the way. Do you see?"

"He's a fraggin' traitor to his race…" Shinji scowled as he looked up at Gendo before looking down at Rei with a small frown, not of pity but of concern, "But I won't be like him. I will stay and fight, even if it means I have to go into that killer. I will never allow an injured to go in my place no matter what. To outweigh the needs of one to the needs of many is not the Way I was taught. As the family that took me in would say in the battle I will have today, 'One shall Stand…One shall Fall.'"

"Well said, Shinji. Now…come this way. I'll give you a simple lecture on the OS," Ritsuko informed as she led Shinji out.

As Shinji was being prepped up for the launching sequence, Misato introduced Tai to the three main computer technicians for the base, a young woman named Maya Ibuki and two men named Makoto Hyuga and Shigeru Aoba. Makoto rolled his eyes when Tai asked if Makoto could see through walls. You hear the joke once, you've heard it a dozen times. When Shinji walked in, he was wearing a skin-tight purple jumpsuit with orange and black designs.

"…Can I change the purple to red and the black and orange to blue?" Shinji asked.

"You can ask that later, Third Child," Ritsuko replied as she pushed Shinji into an elevator that took them up to the middle of the machine, where a container of sorts was being held before it.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Shinji muttered, "You want _me_ to pilot this _thing_ in there? It looks like an umbilical cord!"

"Just get in it," Ritsuko sighed as she pushed him into the 'umbilical cord' as it opened up to reveal a seat and a set of controls before closing shut on the teen.

"If that thing tears him apart, I swear my family will not let this stand," Tai threatened.

=Relax, Neechan. I'm not afraid to die! And I will never let that man call me a coward!=

"Cooling Down Cycle complete! All internal cage systems in docking position!" Maya called.

"Pilot has reached the cockpit position within the Entry Plug!" Shigeru added.

"Rodger! Inserting Entry Plug!" Makoto informed.

"Plug Lock-In Procedure completed! Initiating First Level Interface!" Maya informed, "Flooding Entry Plug!"

"You're doing what?-!" Tai screamed.

=Holy Frag! What in the Pit is going on here, you Unicron Spawn, Rokubungi?-!= Shinji demanded.

"Don't be alarmed! Once your lungs are saturated with the LCL, you'll be able to undergo direct oxygen exchange!" Ritsuko explained.

"Shinji-kun, remember what Oniisan told you about losing your cool! Don't and just relax!"

=I'd like to see you relax in a-Glagh!=

"All circuits fully functional! Initiating power-up sequence! A neural synapses operating within normal limits! First Contract all clear! Opening reciprocal circuits!"

_'Ugh…This stuff tastes like oil and smells like blood…On second thought…It tastes worse than oil seeing how Jetfire and Jetstorm pulled that little prank replacing my honey with oil. Frag you, Twins, frag you,'_ Shinji thought when he felt something hug him, _'Huh? This feeling…M-Mom?'_

"Shinji, are you okay?" Tai called.

=I…Neechan, I…I felt as if Mom just hugged me=

"…Eh?" Tai blinked.

"This is incredible…! Synchro Errors are within 0.3 percent! It's going to work!" Ritsuko declared.

"Right. Evangelion Unit-01! Prepare to Launch!" Misato ordered.

"Good luck, Shinji-kun," Tai called.

=Hai, Neechan=

"Releasing Lock Bolt!"

"Release confirmed! Releasing Umbilical Bridge!"

"Releasing Primary and Secondary restraints!"

"Releasing Safety Locks 1 through 15!"

"Internal battery fully charged! External power outlet nominal!"

"Transporting Eva Unit-01 to the Launch Elevator! Gate 5 Standby!"

"Launch Path cleared! All Green!"

"Launch Preparation are complete."

"Rodger!" Misato sighed, 'I feel like we're making a mistake in letting these children operate the Evangelion Units.' "Commander Rokubungi…"

=AKA the biggest piece of molted slag who's been raped by a Quintesson and a Unicron Spawn multiple times and then fragged by a Decepticreep= Shinji added, making Tai laugh.

"…Do we proceed?"

"Of course. If we fail to defeat the Angels, Humanity has no future."

=Sure it does! Just in enslavement and in hiding!=

"Oh ha-ha…" Tai rolled her eyes.

"Launch!" Misato barked before Unit-01 was sent out through the hole above him.

=Holy frag!-!-!= Shinji screamed before he began to laugh =This is like riding with Blurr or Evac!=

Eva-01 shot out of the hole and landed behind the Angel. Inside the Plug, the inside changed to resemble the scenery outside. For some reason, Shinji felt the wind brushing against the behemoth he was in.

"Hey, does this thing connect to my nervous system?" Shinji asked.

=Actually, more than just that. What happens to the Evangelion will happen to you as well in the form of Phantom Pain=  
=What?-!= Tai screamed =Shinji, don't hold back, you got it?=

=Listen, Shinji, that sphere on the Third Angel, Sachiel's, chest is its Core. You just need to destroy it, okay?= Misato informed.

"Right."

=This is it, Shinji. Releasing Final Safety Locks! Evangelion Unit-01, Lift Off!=

Steam hissed as two plugs fell off the Eva's back. With that, the images became clearer to Shinji. Now that he got a closer look, he saw that Sachiel was spindly and amphibious in appearance with a strange lanky physique and exaggerated proportions, arms reaching below his knees, and elongated shins and feet, with the impressions of leg length furthered by the absence of a head and neck, just two bird-shaped masks. Shinji cracked his knuckles as made the Eva take a step forward…only to fall flat on its face. Son of a Quintesson… Shinji screamed as the Angel grabbed his Eva's head and started to squeeze.

* * *

"Shinji-kun!" Tai gasped as Sachiel proceeded to break the Eva's left arm, making Shinji scream in pain once more.

=Son of a Quintesson! You said it was Phantom Pain, slaggit! My arm's broken here!= Shinji snapped.

"This can't be happening…unless!"

"Those Synchro Frequencies you mentioned earlier have gone into Hyper-Fluctuation?" Tai finished, earning a surprised nod from Ritsuko.

"Ma'am, the Angel's hand grasping Unit-01's head is starting to charge up energy!" Maya gasped.

"Damn it! Shinji, get out of the way!" Misato screamed when the Evangelion was sent into a building, the left eye now a gaping hole, while the Angel's hand now sported a red energy lance.

"Monitors not responding…We can't tell if he's alive or dead!" Makoto paled, "Unit-01…Is completely silent! We've lost all contact with the Eva!"

Misato and Tai paled. Unaware to everyone, a figure was listening on a hidden line. The figure scowled before a red and blue semi-truck and a trailer drove off from its hidden location.

* * *

"I…I guess I'm …dying…" Shinji chuckled, "Just my luck. Guess I'll be joining Mom soon. Sorry I couldn't come up to be with you without having a kid for you to know about…"

It was then Eva-01 stiffened. The Evangelion began to tremble before a massive roar erupted from its jaws as it spread its arm out, its body trembling with unbridled rage.

* * *

"It's Unit-01! She's reactivated!" Shigeru gasped.

"She's ripped out her own Frontal Shutoff Joint!" Makoto gasped.

"But the Synchro Graph is still in the negative zone…" Ritsuko noted before she paled, "Oh no…She's out of control?-!"

* * *

It hurt Child! Angel tried to kill her Child! No one harm Child! Eva-01 let out a frenzied roared as she charged at the Angel. Sachiel fired a red energy lance at her, only for the Evangelion dodge and perform a somersaulting drop-kick that ended with her ripping off half of Sachiel's ossified face. She flipped back a bit growling at Sachiel.

* * *

"It's like a bear…" everyone looked at Tai, "Ms. Ritsuko, you said the Evangelion was out of control. That means that Shinji-kun has no control over her and she's acting on pure instinct. She's like a mother bear defending her cub."

"…" Gendo smirked before the charging Eva-01 slammed face-first into a hexagonal energy barrier.

"An AT Field!-?" Ritsuko and Misato gasped.

"I take it that's bad," Tai noted.

"It is. I can't believe an Angel has the AT Field like our Eva Units have," Maya noted, "As long as the Angel keeps that field up, she can't get close."

"Her left wrist is restored!" Makoto gasped.

"What?-!" Misato gawked.

"Just like that!-?" Ritsuko gawked.

"Unit-01 is also deploying an AT Field! It's neutralizing the Angel's Phase Variance!" Maya exclaimed.

"My god! The Eva has forced open the Angel's AT Field!"

* * *

Eva-01 chuckled with hunger as she tore through the AT Field. Nothing will stand against her prey…nothing. Sachiel was about to fire a beam from her second face when its face was suddenly missing.

* * *

"I don't like that look she has…" Tai noted.

"What look?" Misato asked as she looked at Tai before Maya threw up to her left.

"What just happened?" Tai asked.

"She just ate the Angel's Core and half its upper body," Makoto paled.

"Ugh…" Shigeru shuddered, "Sh…She's still pummeling the Angel."

* * *

Eva-01 roared as she continued to slam her fists into her prey's body. She wanted it to suffer…suffer more! She was about to slam it with both her fists held together when something stopped her. She snarled as she turned…only to meet a masked face with glowing blue optics. Eva-01 moved back from this new threat to her Child. It was…strange. Being of solid metal of red, blue, and silver colors. It shoulders and legs had strange black wheels upon them with glowing red details. The fists and upper half of its legs were a strong silver with the lower half of the legs and arms a strong blue, the remaining a strong red. Its head was blue with two flat horns going up while the face was guarded by a silver guard, revealing just his blue optics, narrowed at her. She roared and charged at the robot, the two entering a grapple.

* * *

"Just what is that thing? Another Angel?" Ritsuko scowled.

"No way!" Tai replied, causing everyone to stare at her, "That Angel thing was organic. That's robotic! It's a giant robot! A mecha!" 'An Autobot…'

* * *

"Stand down. You have already defeated the child," the red and blue robot grunted as the berserk Eva roared and tried to pin the robot, "Now calm down, please. I mean you no harm!"

Eva-01 growled as it jumped back from the robot, bits of the S2 in its bared teeth still. The robot did nothing for a few moments before slowly bowing. The Eva growled, but returned the bow with its own. The anger clouding its thoughts was slowly fading away the more it looked at the automaton before it.

"My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots," the robot introduced itself, "If you had gone further in your attack, you would have harmed the child nearby."

Eva-01 tilted its head. Child? Child was in her, not out of her. Optimus knelt down and moved a bit of debris before the technorganic watched as Optimus slowly took out a girl, out cold with a bit of blood on her head, from the rubble in the palm of his hand. Eva-01 slumped a bit.

"It is fine," Optimus informed, "I will take her to the hospital nearby. Make sure to get Shinji back to where you came from and let him rest."

* * *

"Eva-01 is…is out of Berserker State," Ritsuko informed as she stared at her monitor. "Sir, Eva-01 is now returning to base. Life signs confirmed for the pilot!" Shigeru exclaimed.

"Scan for the S2 Core that the Evangelion consumed," Gendo ordered, _'This has gone farther than I thought for the plan. Yui's awakened and now the Evangelion has an S2 Core.'_

"Sir, Eva-01 has returned to the entrance. Dropping her in," Shigeru informed before Eve-01 landed in the same spot it exited from.

It was then Tai collapsed, laughing. The giant technorganic was flipping off Gendo. The man kept a neutral expression as he looked at the behemoth. He had an irking that was the final thought his son had on him. Misato would bust a gut laughing once she returned home.

* * *

"Mr. Ikari…surely NERV and the Eva Units could be used a little more efficiently?"

"First Unit-00…and now you've wrecked Unit-01 on her maiden campaign!"

"Yet you have forgotten that Unit-01 has devoured the S2 Core," Gendo frowned, "As of now, it's self-sufficient."

"True…But now we need to focus on repair bills, plus reconstruction of the armored buildings…Why, it's going to cost as much as a small nation!"

"Your primary obligations are being forgotten…while these pet projects of yours bankrupt us!"

"NERV and the Eva Units are not your only concerns!"

"What about the Instrumentality Project? Eh? To us, this project…above all others…represents our greatest hope in these desperate times! Where are your priorities?"

"…I understand…"

"In any case…I cannot and will not sanction any delay in the IP schedule that is attributable to the second coming of the Angels. I will consider your budget requests."

"Now, how is the Intel OP Progressing?"

"No need for concern. That matter…has already been dealt with."

* * *

=The News at Noon…Our top story…yesterday's New Tokyo-3 explosion has government officials scrambling to make a…=

'I don't believe it! Those assholes are covering up the Eva and the Angel!' Tai fumed as she sat in a chair beside the medical bed Shinji was resting on.

Beside her was a boy around 19. He had medium/short dirty-blond hair with a black headband. His skin was lightly tan with blue eyes. He wore a sleeveless yellow shirt with black trimming, black fingerless leather gloves with the backs exposed, baggy yellow pants with black lines on the sides.

"Son of a Unicron Spawn…" Shinji groaned as he slowly awoke.

"Shinji-kun!" Tai smiled excitedly as the other boy clapped his hand with a smile.

"You were snoozing for three days," Tai explained, "Your teme of an old man's covered up the Angel attack."

"So…it wasn't a dream…" Shinji whispered.

"Nope!" a voice called before Misato walked in.

"Misato…?" Shinji blinked.

"I came to pick ya up! You and your sister are going to be staying with me!" Misato giggled before spotting the young adult, "And just who is this cutie?"

"He's ten years younger than you, Misato," Tai rolled her eyes.

"This is my Oniisan, Bumblebee," Shinji introduced as the blond kissed Misato's hand, "He's mute, so don't bother trying to get him to have a conversation that involves him moving his lips and did you just say we're staying with you?"

"Well, I learned your original address and…"

"All I did was tap it and the entire structure collapsed," Tai rolled her eyes as Bumblebee began to make muted laughs while slapping his knee, "Urusei!"

"Great! I can have three more houseguests then!" Misato grinned, "I'll drive!"

"…Tai, you ride with her this time. I'm going with Bumblebee," Shinji paled.

"Aw…Fine," Tai pouted cutely before kissing his cheek, "Good to see you're up, though."

* * *

Optimus stood before a mountain. He was just glad that the endless summer climate this land had caused the vegetation to grow to impressive heights for the race that lives here. A panel in the mountain opened up, revealing an entrance. Optimus walked into a rather impressive room. Multiple robots all either slightly shorter or taller than him were about, each working on something. He walked up to a white and red robot around his height. His body had four wheels on parts of the body while some had the symbol for a hospital. His helmet was white with two tiny red 'horns' on the front, one horn damaged. His eyes were blue and he seemed to be older than Optimus if the whiskers on his chin were any sign.

"Ratchet, report," Optimus ordered.

"We've finally completed the Ground Bridge while the Space Bridge…it's still under work," Ratchet explained, "How did your trailing after the three go?"

"Interesting. Ratchet, the life here has developed something strange and powerful," Optimus informed, "I was able to scan it. Will you look over the designs and give me a few options that involve it?"

"But of course, Prime," Ratchet replied as he took a disk from the red and blue robot and walked to a nearby computer.

* * *

Tai heaved her breakfast into a trashcan. Now she knew why Shinji was screaming. She was like Blurr only crazier in her driving skills. Currently, the four were looking out over a cliff railing.

"So what is this place?" Shinji asked, "Doesn't really look like a good site for a picnic…"

"Damn it! You aren't a very cute kid, you know that?-! Just shut up and come with me!" Misato snapped as she looked at her watch, "It's almost time…"

"Time?" Tai groaned before they all looked out and saw multiple buildings emerge from the ground at moderate speeds.

"Whoa…the buildings are rising from the ground…!-?" Shinji awed as the radio in the yellow Camaro began to play 'El Dorado' from the movie 'The Road to El Dorado.'

"Why am I not surprised you'd play that one?" Tai whispered to Bumblebee.

"These aren't just any buildings, you three…New Tokyo-3! This is the 'Anti-Angel Siege Fortress'…our city! More than that, Shinji, this was the city that you defended!"

"I'm glad I did. It looks amazing, Misato," Shinji replied as his brother took a picture.

Bumblebee was truly impressed with the sight. Before Megatron ripped out his vocal tracks and after the start of the war, a city that could go into the ground would have been advantageous to the Autobots. Just imagining the looks on the faces of Decepticons when they were gonna charge and destroy a city, only to find out there was nothing there while the Autobots were enjoying being underground, put a huge grin on his face. The song 'I Feel Good' blared from the yellow car. The next thing Bumblebee knew, Tai's hand had got him on the back of the head and the radio shut off.

"You sure have one strange radio," Misato noted.

* * *

"By the Matrix…Sir, I've ran a scan of it and, once I removed the signature of Shinji, I've discovered something," Ratchet informed.

With that, he motioned to a holographic screen that displayed an outline of Eva-01, an outline of Shinji in the plug. Ratchet tapped on the chest of the Evangelion and it zoomed in. Many of the Autobots gasped and muttered to themselves at the sight.

"Is that…Are those…?" a white and pink femme robot gasped.

"It appears so. Somehow, this 'Evangelion Unit-01' has a Spark inside of it that is fused with a heart, a brain, and…something else," Ratchet informed as he pointed at a strange black, red, and deep-orange item that was fusing with the heart that was entangled with the brain engulfed by the Spark, "I believe it's that S2 Core that Tai heard…Maya, I believe…mention. But the more pressing matter is that it has a Spark. Could it have been a Protoform?"

"Possibly, Ratchet," Optimus replied, "We'll need to retrieve it she is a Protoform."

"She, sir?" a tall, bulky, green robot asked.

"Yes, Bulkhead. I was able to listen in on their transmissions between Evangelion Unit-01 and the base she was launched from, NERV. They confirmed that our supposed Protoform is female," Optimus explained.  
"What do we be doing, Optimus Prime?" a white, red, and orange Robot with orange optics and a helmet resembling an old aviator's hat with orange-tinted goggles asked.

"We do being to regain Form of Proto, yes?" a blue, yellow, and white robot resembling the other but wearing a blue helmet with yellow bars in the middle and a light-blue visor over his eyes pondered.

"Jetfire, Jetstorm, I am not sure what we should do," Optimus replied.

"Sir, I was able to do a scan and…it's an Autobot signature," Ratchet informed, "The Evangelion Unit-01 is releasing an Autobot signal."

"Then we must retrieve her," Optimus clenched his fist.

"So what's the plan?" Bulkhead asked before his left fist transformed into a futuristic wrecking ball, "Because I say we bust in there and get her out."

"We are trying to remain hidden, Bulkhead," Optimus informed, "I will go alone."

"What?-!" another femme made of blue and black metals gasped.

"They know of my existence, but no one else's," Optimus explained, "T-AI was able to provide us with information on how Evangelion Unit-01 was launched and where one of the entrances is. I will provide the funds to repair the entrance after I recover her. Ratchet, prepare to standby the Ground Bridge. We will bring her here tonight."

* * *

"So he took the train to get here?" Misato asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Shinji held down his food as best as he could as they drove to a building.

"Shinji, could you take a bag?" Misato asked.

"Huh? Oh, sure," Shinji replied as he collapsed on his face, having driven with Misato once more.

"I think your stuff should be here by now…" Misato noted.

"Not really. They're all in the trunk," Tai explained as she and Bumblebee got a few suitcases out of the yellow Camero's trunk.

"That's all of it?" Misato pondered.

"Aside from clothes and a few pictures, then yeah," Shinji shrugged as they followed her upstairs to a door.

"To tell you the truth, I just moved here myself, so I'm sorry if it's a little messy," Misato apologized.

She proceeded to open and the door. In a matter of seconds, Shinji, Bumblebee, and Tai were on the floor, holding their noses in pain. It smelled like something died in there, came back to life, died again, and then voided its bowels all over the place…fifty times. The three managed to recover and walked inside to see that the living room was a natural disaster area.

"Just a sec' and I'll get dinner ready. Shinji, can you put that stuff in the fridge?" Misato asked.

"Uh…We'll try to find some rooms to stay in," Tai noted as she and Bumblebee went down the hallway with Bumblebee making a few gestures, "Where's the bathroom, anyway?"

"First door to the right down the hallway," Misato replied as Shinji sweatdropped at seeing the fridge was filled to the brim with beer.

"Mind telling me what's in the big fridge over here?" Shinji asked.

"Oh…you'd better leave that one alone. I think he's still sleeping," Misato noted.

"Sleeping?" Shinji repeated when the fridge door opened, revealing a penguin that was holding a towel and a wash basin with shampoo and soap in it, "…Who…the Pit…was that?"

"Isn't he cute? He's a new breed of Hot Springs Penguin. His name's Penpen, so say hello to him."

"Okay…" Shinji sweatdropped as Tai walked back in.

"Why did I see a penguin go by me?" Tai asked.

"His name is Penpen and he lives in the fridge," Shinji sweatdropped.

"...I say we shave his brows, put him in peglegs, give him a fanny pack and fake bat wings, and teach him to say 'dude,'" Tai smirked playfully, causing Shinji to hold back some snickers.

"By the way, you two…there's something we have to do since we'll be living together," Misato informed.

"If it involves chores, then you better not be deciding with Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Tai snapped, "Unless it's Rock, Paper, Scissor, Lizard, Spock."

"What?" Misato blinked.

"Paper covers Rock, Scissors cuts Paper, Lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes Scissors, Lizard eats Paper, Scissors decapitates Lizard, Paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes Rock, and Rock crushes Scissors," Tai explained.

"…Can you repeat that again?"

"Paper covers Rock, Scissors cuts Paper, Lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes Scissors, Lizard eats Paper, Scissors decapitates Lizard, Paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes Rock, and Rock crushes Scissors," Tai explained.

"Oi…" Shinji rolled his eyes, "I'll handle breakfast and dinner along with making bento lunches."

"Dibs on vacuuming and dusting," Tai added.

"You and Niisan can settle the rest, Misato," Shinji shrugged.

A loud squawk came from the bathroom before the penguin ran out frantically while Bumblebee in just a towel was chasing with the towel bar he had, apparently, ripped off the wall. Shinji fell over, laughing at the sight, as Tai sighed and shook her head, inwardly giggling at the sight. Misato just grinned at the sight. That would teach Penpen to go into the bathroom without knocking. Shinji, Tai, and Bumblebee would sigh later once they learned dinner was TV Lunches.

* * *

Optimus drove along the semi-barren landscape. He was lucky Bumblebee sent the transmission on how the city was hidden at night; otherwise, he would have been concerned. He stopped before the entrance T-AI informed him and transformed. He rammed his hands into a side and began to tear it open.

* * *

"Sir! We have intruders!" Ritsuko gasped, "Code: Black! I repeat: Code: Black!"

"Lock the place down. Don't let the intruders get further into the base!" Gendo ordered.

"…Sir…It's the robot from before. The one that stopped Eva-01 in the Berserk State," Ritsuko paled, "The one that called itself 'Optimus Prime.'"

"What?" Gendo scowled, _'This isn't part of the plan!'_ "Get MAGI to hack into its systems at once!"

"She can't, sir," Maya gulped, "We've tried multiple ways to try and hack the robot and its firewall is just too advanced! In truth..." she motioned to her monitor, now displaying the Autobot Symbol, "The robot hacked into the MAGI and is typing down 'Please stop that. It tickles.'"

* * *

Optimus slowly climbed down the pathway. He was glad that T-AI had been able to see the deployment procedure of the…Evangelion…Otherwise, he would have had to use a Jump to get in and he didn't want that. The life upon this land was small and fragile and he did not wish to frighten or harm them. Yet he could also tell they had great potential from what he had studied over the last ten years. Optimus jumped down into the main room of the Evangelion.

"Primus…" Optimus gasped, seeing not only Eva-01 but also a white-armored Evangelion, "Ratchet, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

=If you mean the two technorganic beings equal to Brawl's size, then yes=

"Bulkhead, open a Ground Bridge to the Ark at my coordinates," Optimus ordered, "Ratchet, prepare the lab for the two Evangelion. Warpath, you're with me in getting these two to the Ark."

* * *

"Sir! He's attempting to steal the Evangelion!" Ritsuko gasped.

"Activate the sprayed Bakelite!" Gendo demanded.

"At once, sir!"

Gendo smirked. Such an insolent machine. Soon, they would start dismantling it, see what makes it tick, and add it to their Evangelion.

* * *

Optimus carefully removed the last of the cables connected to the Evangelion. Optimus grunted as he was suddenly hit by a blast of red liquid. Optimus wiped it away from his optics and saw the room was starting to flood. Optimus tried to open his left fist only to see that the liquid had hardened. His optics widened when he realized just why the room was a bit chilly to Shinji and T-AI. This liquid hardens at an accelerated rate in cold temperatures!

"Ratchet, hold Warpath back and send the Twins. They need to generate enough heat in here to melt and evaporate this substance!" Optimus ordered.

=At once, Optimus=

* * *

"We got him!" Maya cheered.

"Uh…What's that?" Makoto asked as he pointed at a green portal appearing on the screen.

"_More_ of them?" Shigeru gulped, unaware that Gendo just crushed the small cup of water he had just gotten at that question.

"Add more Bakelite!" Gendo ordered before fire obscured the screens before they turned to static.

"S-Sir…A fire just broke out in the Evangelion Room," Maya paled before the screen returned, revealing flame retardant and no Bakelite…more importantly, no robots or Evangelion!

"Th…They've abducted the Evangelion!" Shigeru gawked before he fainted.

"Hold on! Zoom in on that wall!" Ritsuko ordered.

"Yes, Sensei!" Maya saluted before the screen showed English writing.

"…'I will return them in a Deca-Cycle at best if they wish to return. Optimus Prime,'" Ritsuko read.

Gendo crushed his cup tighter. This wasn't supposed to happen in the plan. The Evangelion were supposed to stay here, not be stolen by a giant robot. But why would that robot take them? Was it working for the Angels? Or was it another group that hated NERV?

* * *

**Honestly, no one really knows the actual size of an Evangelion because its size was always changing, so I made it them the size of Brawl in size. Look him up in any wikia involving transformers to better understand. Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15, then this becomes an actual story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so with all of them being more than just one sentence or statement and actualy try to at least ask something about the story-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Story 4: Zero Underground**

**This one I wrote sometime a year or so ago when I played the first Megaman Zero game on my laptop while listening to some of my favorite songs from Sonic the Hedgehog (such as The Mobius Stomp, EGGMAN, and Unknown from ME). Sometime near the end of the game, I began to think as my music player was playing this song I discovered was sung by Robotnik's late voice actor from the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (It's a really cool song called 'It Still Ain't Easy' by Long John Baldry.) 'Why is it that Robotnik is the only Human that we see in the Sonic Underground series?' That led me to start thinking that 'What if he isn't a pure human, but maybe some sort of human mixed with a Reploid or something like it?' Thus, that led to 'Well if that's it, then he might be considered a Maverick. And who's the best in fighting Mavericks? Zero!' With that, this happened.**

* * *

**ZERO POV**

How long have I been alive? 500 centuries? A millennium? I do not recall. The years just seemed to blend together as they went by. So much destruction…So much pain and suffering…And I am the cause of it all…well, not me. The one who created me and the goddamn Zero Virus. But still, because I woke up, there has been so many deaths…including…hers. Over the last decade, I fought alongside a group of resistance fighters against a pale mockery of my friend and his wishes for peace and a scientist of insane intelligence. As I fall upon this dying orbital weapon, I hope that everyone will be able to find peace…

**NORMAL POV**

* * *

"Dude, are you sure that it's here?"

"If Mom's diary entry said that it's here, then it's here."

The desert sands blew about in the dry, crisp winds. A lone vehicle drove along it, its frame floating over the sands. The vehicle was a dirty-yellow in color with blue, magenta, and green designs. The sides on the top were decorated in strange rifle-shaped weapons. It slowed to a halt before a dilapidated tower. The desert sand-filled winds seemed to die down as it stopped before the tower, the doors opening to let out its three passengers…three humanoid hedgehogs.

The first to exit was lime-green in terms of quills with a peach muzzle, belly, and arms. Around his waist was a worn fanny pack with an orange open vest on his body. On his feet was a pair of orange shoes, the fronts a soft, dirty white. On the cuffs of his white gloves was black leather, spikes lining them. The main top quills on his head had been pulled up and bent at multiple angles, all pointing ahead. He lowered the orange goggles on his face, revealing his orange eyes.

"Huh…This is pretty cool. Reminds me of this place me and Feral and the others stayed in for a bit," the hedgehog recalled.

The second to walk out was a magenta female hedgehog with a peach muzzle. Her figure certainly turned the eyes of many a man of her kind. Going up to her shoulders was a pair of red gloves with purple trimming. She wore a red sleeveless shirt, hugging the top half of her figure snugly while a gold belt separated her violet skirt from the red shirt. On her legs were a pair of violet stockings with red trimming, barely going under the skirt, with purple boots with gold trimming. Her quills were a soft pink in color with the main quill having been grown and reshaped into a frontward hairstyle. She removed the red and violet shades to reveal her light-blue eyes.

"Sonic, I swear if this sand ruins my hair, you are dead," the teenager scowled at the vehicle's last figure.

The last figure was a blue hedgehog. He had blue fur and quills with two on his back and six on his heads going straight back. He wore a pair of white gloves and the light of the sun reflected off the gold buckles on his shoes and medallion resembling his head. He lowered his blue-tinted and gold sunglasses to reveal his emerald eyes.

"I'm not sure if you're joking or you're serious, Sonia," the hedgehog noted.

"It's hair, Bro. Of course she's serious," the green hedgehog snickered.

"Hmph!" Sonia turned from the two and looked at the tower, "Ugh…This is terrible. Why did it have to be sealed away in this place, Sonic, Manic?"

"Well you have the entry, Sis," Sonic noted.

Sonia sighed. This had all started when one of Manic's friends in the thief's guild had gotten them an entry from their mother's diary, telling legend of an immortal warrior sealed away within the location they were currently in. Sonia turned away from the two and moved the top of her shirt away from her chest, letting her pull out the few papers she had hidden away in-between her breasts. She unfolded it, revealing drawings of a wasteland and a red 'Z.'

"'My father told me of an immortal warrior, a hero that saved our world in a time of great crisis. The warrior, whose blade was said to be empowered by his will to survive, was capable to laying waste to millions of enemy soldiers. He was called a 'Hero' by many, yet would never admit it himself. My father said that should a great crisis to the world threaten us again, someone would be able to find and awaken the immortal warrior to save us once again,'" Sonia read.

"And Robotnik is a great crisis to the world right now," Sonic noted, "So let's do it to it."

Sonia and Manic nodded before the trio walked in. Unaware to them, a figure was watching nearby, standing between two others, the middle figure hidden by a cloak. The figure to the left was a humanoid Dingo. He was the tallest of the three with rippling muscles all over his orange-furred/skinned body. He had a Mohawk of yellow hair with a tiny pair of purple-tinted glasses on his big red nose, his green eyes looking at Sonia. His green shorts were torn in various places on the legs while his left leg was robotic, made with dirty-yellow metal, with the right leg having a brown boot. He messed with his fingerless, leather gloves for a few moments.

The figure to the left was the second-tallest and a humanoid coyote with dark-blue fur with his face and ears shaved to reveal gray skin and a black nose. The whites of his eyes were a bit of an off-yellow. He wore a yellow jumpsuit that hugged his form tightly. He wore a long, purple cape with dark-blue and blue shoulder pads, ending with gold skulls. On his neck was a gold skull while his chin had a dark-blue goatee. His belt, collar, and gloves were a deep magenta with the gloves having orange jewels on the backs of the fists. The arms were revealed to have the sickly-yellow jumpsuit while the rest of his body was covered in dirty-bronze armor, fitting to his body.

"I can't believe that tracer of yours worked," the coyote noted, "I'm g…"

"You ssssay it wassss your idea and I'll rip your tongue out, Ssssleet," the figure hissed making the coyote gulp, "Ssssummon the Ssssonic Wrecking Attack Trained robotssss and ssssurround the place in casssse they esssscape."

"That guy creeps me out, Sleet," the dingo gulped once the figure approached the dilapidated structure, leaving a slithering trail behind him.

"And we can't do anything to him unless we want to end up in the Roboticizer," Sleet scowled before he turned to a large hoard of red and orange robots the size and figures of either 7' adult men or 5' 6" adult women, "SWATBots, prepare to capture and/or eliminate Priorities One, Two, and Three: The Royal Hedgehog Triplets."

* * *

"Ugh…Messy, messy, messy!" Sonia complained as she shook off a cobweb in her quills.

"We're almost to the center. Just bear with it, Sis," Sonic advised.

It was then they entered a large chamber. Light shined down upon the center of the room, hitting the only thing within the chamber that wasn't sand. It was hard to tell its size due to some of it being covered in sand and stones. It looked strange to the three, with peach skin and locks of yellow hair. The eyes were closed, almost as if the figure were resting. Upon the back were multiple machines, many seemingly broken and mended together.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Manic exclaimed, "We came here…and this is what we end up with?-!-? Stupid gramps!"

"Maybe there's more to this guy," Sonic pointed out when a coil suddenly wrapped around his neck and began to strangle him.

"Bro!" Manic shouted before a second one shot out and began to choke him.

"Sssso…We meet oncssse more…" the cloak figure hissed as he appeared from the shadows.

"Who…Who are you?" Sonia gulped.

The cloak fell and Sonia's eyes widened. It was a humanoid snake, but made completely of metal. The metal was mainly sickly and lime-green in color with only bits of pure-colored metal in it. The lower half of its body was that of a snake's while the head was a fusion of man and cobra, the humanoid face's upper half hidden by the snake's upper half of its head, the snake eyes glowing a sickly yellow. The arms were just snake bodies, both wrapped around the necks of her strangling-in-progress brothers.

"I am…Cobra," the machine hissed, "I am here for…revenge!"

"R-Revenge…?" Sonia gulped.

"My clan wassss ssssuppossssed to inherit the kingdom, not you hedgehogssss!" Cobra hissed, "Sssso…I will kill you all for that!"

"B-But…" Sonia gulped as a laser began to charge up in its jaws, "No!-!-!"

The sounds of something tearing through metal echoed in the area. No one moved. Cobra slowly looked down to see his arms had been sliced off by a pair of chain-shaped cyan energy. Sonic and Manic coughed as they tried to intake deep breaths. A lone figure held Sonia close, almost as if she were a fragile vase. The figure wore a solid black jumpsuit, the fingers missing on his black gloves. His red vest with gold trimming on the collar was zipped up with white armor on his lower body and sides of his upper legs. His solid red boots began just below the knees and hugged fittingly to them, a gold cuff just above the feet with black soles on the bottoms. On his arms, ending at his hands and his elbows were a pair of solid red gauntlets with gold on the ends near the hands. His rich blond hair gently blew in the wind, the roof and walls torn apart to let the light shine down and reveal the SWATBots surrounding the former structure. The figure looked down at Sonia, his emerald eyes examining her as she began to blush. Sonia saw that his skin was a soft peach and he wore a primarily black helmet with two red spikes on the upper sides, a lone green triangle-shaped cyan jewel on the forehead of the helmet. On the sides, covering the ears, were four white spikes, two on each side and separated in the middle by a red piece of armor. His free hand held a white handle, the cyan chains emerging from it.

"Who are you?-!" Cobra demanded as the figure gently put Sonia beside her siblings, "What are you!-?"

"I know who I am," the figure informed as he looked around, "And I know your classification."

"Oh? And jusssst what issss that?" Cobra asked before the chains shot back into the handle, replacing it with a cyan, arrowhead-shaped blade.

"A Maverick," the figure replied, suddenly behind Cobra, the Robian's body slice down the middle, "And I am a Maverick Hunter. Consider yourself terminated."

"It…can't…be…" Cobra rasped out, "So…fast…"

With that, Cobra gave off a mini-explosion, surprisingly not harming anyone there. The jewel on the figure's forehead began to glow brightly as a 'Z' appeared on his free hand's palm, giving off a bright cyan glow.

"Wh-Who is this guy?" Dingo gulped.

"Attack!" Sleet roared.

Sonic and Manic managed to recover after five minutes…and it was all over. In his left hand, the figure had a white blaster, smoke coming from it. In his right hand, his saber gave a soft glow. Around them, robot parts were scattered about, sliced, shot through, and partially melted.

"F-Five hundred soldiers…" Sleet choked out as Dingo hid behind him, trembling in fear, "R…Retreat!"

"Oh, not again!" Dingo yelped as Sleet pulled out a remote with a red button, pushing it and causing Dingo to turn into an orange motorcycle with his face for the front.

"I'll be back!" Sleet declared as he drove off on the Dingo-Cycle.

"Wh...Who are you?" Sonic gulped.

"..." the figure turned to them, looking over the trio, "Huh...So animals have evolved to the point of being the dominate species of the world. Interesting."

"Who are you callin' an animal?" Manic barked.

"Manic, stop," Sonia ordered as she approached the figure, "My name is Sonia. May I know your name?"

"...Wily, Zero Wily," the figure replied after a few moments of silence, "Tell me, why am I alive?"

"Huh?"

"I remember falling from outer orbit, the space station I was on burning up upon reentry. I am supposed to be offline, but yet I still live," Zero frowned, looking at his hands, "Why is that?"

"Um, well..." Sonia tapped her chin in thought, "Hm..."

"You're probably just too strong to die," Sonic pointed out, "Like yours truly."

"..." Zero frowned at him, "You remind me of a friend of mine I saw as a brother...and an idiot rookie."

"Hey!" Sonic barked as Manic laughed, Zero looking around before setting his eyes on the remains of the 'tower.'

"So...A piece of Ragnarok saved me from destruction," Zero noted, "Ironic. It was meant to destroy humans and Reploids, yet it saved a Reploid from death."

"Ragnarok?" Sonia repeated as Zero aimed his blaster and finished destroying the 'tower.'

"..." Zero put his weapons away and turned to Sonia, "Do you know where we can talk. A sandstorm is coming this way."

"You can stay in our tour bus, if you want to," Sonia replied, motioning to the vehicle they had got off.

"...Tour...Bus?" Zero pondered, "It's too heavily armed to be a normal bus, let alone for musicians."

"Well, music is illegal unless approved of by Robotnik," Sonic scowled.

"Robotnik?"

"Dude, we have got a lot to talk to you about," Manic noted as they dragged the red figure to their vehicle.

* * *

"What do you mean that just one being destroyed not only the only-willing Mobian to have ever gone through Roboticization and modified to be the ultimate threat to the Royal Hedgehogs, but also wiped out 500 of my strongest soldiers in just five minutes?!" a large, imposing figure in black, red, grey, and gold robes roared out, glaring down at Sleet and Dingo with his glowing red eyes floating in darkness with his head hidden beneath a red and black hood.

"H...I…" Sleet gulped, "We have a recording still of the slaughter."

"...Leave the recording and get out of my sight," the being ordered.

The two couldn't have run off sooner than that. Even if no one had ever seen the figure's face, they knew that he didn't need to show his visage to intimidate others. The man slowly walked down the steps from his throne and picked up the data disk. Walking over to a series of computers, he inserted the data disk and the image began to replay. As he watched, a dark grin made its way onto the being's visage.

"So...The stories about the Legendary Reploid were true," the figure noted, "It seems the journal of my ancestor Thomas was not just filled with the means to begin my global domination, but also about the legends of the past." he laughed a little, "Well, it seems that I'll need to simply accelerate my plans."

* * *

**Now if I get the 15 for this one, this may be one of my darker stories that I think I'll ever write. Because, let's face it, the Megaman X series and it's sequels-Megaman Zero series, Megaman ZX, and Megaman ZXA-were dark and vicious. Humanity and the planet were being killed off, the environment was becoming a pure wasteland, the villains were actually dangerous to everyone in terms of wanting to wipe them out (which Sigma was the first to do with all those nuclear missiles and dropping that space colony onto the planet), and the emotional trauma Zero has gone through (I mean, he actually had to kill someone he had actually fallen in love with!). Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15, then this becomes an actual story.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so with all of them being more than just one sentence or statement and actualy try to at least ask something about the story-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Story 3: Rebel SWAT Kats**

**This story was found in an old USB Drive/Stick. I looked it over, edited, and improved on my original plans for it and this is what you get. Owned by their respected owners and not by me.**

* * *

Megakat City...the name alone meant the city felt strong. And it had proof of its mettle for over a few years. It wasn't just because of its law enforcement known as The Enforcers, nor the Deputy Mayor known as Callie Briggs, but its biggest sense of protection came from a pair of vigilantes known simply as The SWAT Kats. The SWAT Kats were considered heroes by many in the city, despite the Enforcers' leader, Feral, disliking them. From magicians to advanced self-evolving robotics, the SWAT Kats were able to fight them and normally get them in the end after just two fights, the second fight being in their victory. Many that lived in the city considered they'd always be there. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.

A villain known as the Pastmaster attacked the city one day, using various creatures and warriors he summoned from different times. The Enforcers were barely hanging on in capturing and taking down the summoned beings while the SWAT Kats were chasing the Pastmaster, riding on the back of an actual dragon with an officer known as Felina Feral, the niece of Feral, in his claws, using their main mode of fighting and transportation; the Turbokat. In the ensuing dogfight, the SWAT Kats were able to get Felina away and into the Turbokat. With her safe with them, the SWAT Kats open fired on the Pastmaster, a shot managing to strike the watch the Pastmaster held. A brilliant light flashed from the impact of the attack before fading away, revealing all the time-displaced beings were gone...and so were the SWAT Kats.

* * *

"Just great, Razor, just flipping great!" T-Bone growled as the Turbokat flew over a forest, "We had the little creep and then we're in a forest!"

"My scanners aren't picking up anyone, either," Razor noted as he and Felina were looking at some equipment in the backseat of the two-seater jet.

"But there are some high readings of chemicals in the air, most that come from chemical plants or smokestacks from plants," Felina added, "The strongest source of the stuff seems to be roughly twenty kilometers to the east."

"Okay. Just hold on!" T-Bone advised before swiftly turning the Turbokat to the east, causing Felina to be pressed against Razor.

"Uh...S-Sorry," Razor blushed.

"My…" Felina paused to cough into her fist lightly, "It's my bad."

T-Bone rolled his eyes as the Turbokat entered Mach 1. A few minutes passed before the vast green forest they were over transformed into desolate landscapes and a massive fortress-like city. The Turbokat entered the airspace and the trio noticed almost instantly that there was something wrong. Where were all the people? A beeping noise went off in the Turbokat.

"T-Bone!" Felina called.

"Bogeys coming in from behind us!" Razor advised.

=Halt! You are in the airspace of Robotropolis without clearance. Land immediately and be prepared for Roboticization=

T-Bone looked at the monitor before him that would display what was behind him. It was a swarm of strange humanoid robots made of purple and grey metals. All of them were holding a blaster and shooting at them.

"Hold on! Launching Banshee Missiles!" Razor informed as he pressed a button on his console.

A pair of black, blue, and red missiles launched out at the three robots heading for them. Below them, near the point where the cones connected to the body, a set of speakers were seen before sonic vibrations began to emanate from them. As the vibrations washed over the three robots, they started to go off-course and crashed into each other, exploding.

"Oh yeah!" T-Bone cheered before more lasers went by them, "Now they're trying to cut us off!"

"Evasive maneuvers!" Felina shouted.

"Hey! No backsteat driving, missy!" T-Bone snapped.

The Turbokat went into a 45 degree angle drop, avoiding the three robots that were heading for them before a quick spin let the Turbokat be behind them. A lone missile fired out of the Turbokat with the words 'From Razor with love!' written in cursive on the side. The missile struck the middle robot and it exploded, taking out the other two with it.

"Booyah! Happy vapor trails!" Razor whooped.

"Not bad," Felina smirked before more lasers came at them, "Ugh! What is this place? Robot City?"

"Could be Metallikat City," Razor noted.

"Let's hope not!" T-Bone shuddered, "That was one future I want to forget."

"They're trying to shoot us down!" Razor shouted.

"Wait. There's something on the radar," Felina noted, "It...It's clocking Mach 9!"

"Mach 9?!" the SWAT Kats repeated.

On the ground, a large group of the robots were firing at the Turbokat. Their orders were clear; shoot down the strange vehicle and take the pilots to their creator. The wind blew gently in the air before a blue blur raced past all the robots shooting at the Turbokat. Just as it went by, a massive blast of wind followed, tearing the robots apart with ease. The blur dashed up a wall before jumping and landing on the Turbokat's nose-cone. The three inside the Turbokat blinked twice. The figure standing on it was a blue, humanoid hedgehog. He wore a pair of white gloves, red and white running shoes, and a green scarf, tattered at the ends. His arms, belly, and muzzle were a soft peach while the rest was a vivid blue. He raised a brow, looking at them with emerald-green eyes.

"Hey! Get off of there!" T-Bone barked.

The hedgehog smirked before walking along the top of it before sitting on the back. The Turbokat slowly entered a hovering state. The cockpit opened up enough to let Felina poke her head out.

"Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Name's Sonic the Hedgehog," the hedgehog greeted, "Pretty sweet piece of tech."

"Thanks!" Razor beamed in the cockpit, "Made it with T-Bone!"

"Razor!" T-Bone barked.

"Okay. So the guys in there are called T-Bone and Razor. So your name is…?" Sonic asked.

"Felina Feral. Do you know where we can land safely?"

"Sure do!" Sonic replied as he looked up, "Hey, Tails!"

Felina looked up as a humanoid fox landed, stopping his twin tails from spinning. Felina rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. ...Yep, a little humanoid fox-possibly around twelve-had a pair of tails. His fur was a golden-yellow in color with a white belly area, tail tips, and muzzle. He was looking around the vehicle in awe.

"This is amazing," the fox noted before running over and looking down at Razor, "Hey, does this jet run on a Model Z-100 engine?"

"Nope! Never heard of that kind of engine, to tell ya the truth," Razor shrugged before a laser nearly hit the Turbokat, "Uh...How about a location to hide? Please?"

"Head for the forest!" Tails yelped, "I there's a clearing near there along with a cave that should fit this thing!"

"Let's go then!" T-Bone shouted as Felina lowered herself back into Razor's lap as Sonic and Tails grabbed onto the wings.

"Hold on tight, you guys!" Razor advised, "This baby can easily hit Mach 8!"

"Mach 8? Wow. Talk about slow," Sonic snorted softly before the Turbocat rocketed off.

* * *

"Thank god we lost 'em," T-Bone sighed in relief as the Turbokat set itself to cruising speed so that Felina could sit on the outside to get information.

"Don't be thankful yet. We still need to learn how to get back home," Razor informed.

"So...The Overlanders lost the Great War, but one Overlander that betrayed his kind was able to take over the planet," Felina frowned as she looked over her notes.

"Yeah. Dr. Ro-butt-nik's a real pain," Sonic scowled.

"It...It's because of him that Aunt Sally…" Tails looked down.

"...A week before you guys showed up, a raid happened there for more supplies. Robotnik found out about it and...and he was able to Roboticize the royal princess of the Acorn Family known as Sally," Sonic informed, a frown on his face, "Moral's been at an all-time low because of it. Especially with the main Freedom Fighter faction she was with."

"...You called her 'Aunt Sally,' was…"

"No. Sally just took care of Tails the most out of us, so he calls her his aunt," Sonic informed, "What's even worse is that while we have a way to give her her mind back in control, Robotnik's hidden her away. We're not even sure where he hid her."

Felina frowned, "Oh dear…"

It was then something began to beep and Razor called out, "Hey! The Dimensional Scanner's picking up an underground base up ahead!"

"And there's the cave!" Sonic pointed out.

"Everyone in!" T-Born advised, "And no touching the controls!"

Felina was the only one who got in while Sonic and Tails stayed on the top. The wings folded in as landing gear deployed. The jet entered the cave and landed on a runway. It went down a bit before entering a long, underground runway. Slowly, the vehicle stopped in the middle of a large room with various supplies for machinery in it. Everyone quickly got out and looked around.

"So what is this place?" Felicia pondered.

"This...This is our old base," T-Bone informed.

"Really?" Tails pondered, "It's amazing."

"You bet. Built it right under a military junk yard, too," T-Bone grinned, "But...How did it end up here?"

"It...It means this place was Megakat City," Razor's eyes widened, "T-Bone, I...I think when we broke the Pastmaster's Watch in the Speed of Heat, we...we went forward in time. Way, way forward."

"Hey! Who's h...The SWAT Kats?!"

The five turned to see a figure, looking at them in shock. At first, Sonic and Tails were about to say it was a Robian. That is, until, T-Bone, Felicia, and Razor shouted something.

"Molly?!" both exclaimed.

The figure was a cat, much like T-Bone, Felicia, and Razor, but that was only in design. The figure was a robot with a slender, womanly figure. What was strange for the two Kats was that she wore a tee with the word 'MONEY' across the chest and a pair of tight jeans.

"Well, color me shocked. Everyone in Megakat City thought you two went down with the Pastmaster," the robot noted.

"Molly? You're alive?" T-Bone pondered.

"Of course I'm alive, you dimwitted dunderheads! Been alive for three-fourths a millennium now!" Molly snapped before smirking, "Man...When Mac hears about this, he'll flip."

"Um...Explanations?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, right," Razor blinked, "Molly, these are Sonic and Tails. Sonic, Tails, meet Molly of the Metallikats."

"You mean the robots with the brains of criminals in them?"

"Actually, it was the data of criminals, but with how we acted, it might as well have been our brains," Molly shrugged.

"Last time we saw you, you and Mac were…"

"Nah. We may have gotten assimilated, but when Zed went kaput, only my left arm was assimilated. Mac...Mac lost all but his head," Molly sighed with a small smile, "But, I did get that food processor that I always wanted, even if it was for just a little bit."

"That's a scary thought. You cooking," T-Bone smirked.

"...I swear that if I had a weapon still installed in me, I'd blast you for that," Molly frowned, "But, come on. I'll show you around. We added on since we found this a bit after you two ended up here in our past and your present."

"This better not be a trap," Razor frowned.

Molly sighed, "Look, Razor-boy, I ain't looking for any trouble. Truth of the matter is, you couldn't have left at a better time. Overlanders finally got the guts to make nukes and fired them at Megakat City. That's when the war between Overlanders and Mobians went off like a, well, a nuclear missile."

"No…" Felicia gasped.

"Then...Then how did you two survive?" T-Bone asked.

"You made this place well," Molly smirked as she banged a wall with the back of her fist, "The stuff this place is made of didn't even budge from the impact," Molly informed before she turned a corner with the others, entering a living room-like area where a figure was snoring on the couch, "Ah. Here we are." she put her hands on her hips at seeing the figure, "HEY, MAC! WAKE UP, YOU BUCKET BRAIN, AND MEET OUR GUESTS!"

"GAAAAAH!"

The figure fell off the couch before jumping up, looking around wildly with his green optics. He was built much like T-Bone was and was like Molly in being a machine. He wore no shirt, but a brown leather jacket and blue jeans with a leather fedora on his head.

"I'm up! I'm up! Did that weird Overlander finally find us?! Oh, please tell me he didn't! I don't want to be dismantled again!" the guy shouted in fear before noticing Molly and her guests, "...Molly, slap me." Molly walked up to him and slapped him across the face, "Thanks." he looked over her shoulder for a few seconds before grabbing the sides of her shoulders, "Molly, we're not malfunctioning, right?"

"No, Macky, we're not," Molly replied, "It's really them."

"The SWAT Kats are alive, after all," Mac whispered before he began to grin, "OH YEAH! I rule! Pay up, sweet-cheeks!"

"Seven hundred and fifty years and he always reminds me of the anniversary of the day we made that bet on you two being alive or not…" Molly muttered towards the SWAT Kats before walking over to a box on the nearby shelf and tossed it at Mac, having it hit him on the head, "I hope you choke on it."

It was then a gurgling sound went off in Mac, "And you just had to remind me of that new upgrade we just did to ourselves."

"In that case, I'll make dinner," Molly smirked.

"...She doesn't burn water still, does she?" Razor asked.

"No, no, no. She managed to figure out how not to half a century ago," Mac replied before Molly's tail extended and slapped the back of his head, "Gah!" he rubbed the back of his head as Molly walked off, "Yeesh. Guess who's not getting laid tonight. This guy, that's who."

"Okay, start talkin'," T-Bone scowled, "What's going on?"

"Well, it all started back a week before the war began," Mac informed, "We had just looted the fifth bank in the row and, well, we got bored. We couldn't spend it since Kats would just flee and call the Enforcers. Plus, we couldn't get a Credit Card because that meant going to the banks and, well, you know what happened when we were near banks."

"Yeah. Robbed them," Razor informed.

"Well, after that last heist, we just...well, it was boring at that point," Mac shrugged, "So, we faked out 'deaths' by throwing a pair of fakes we made strapped with bombs off the highest point of Megakat City and set them off halfway down. No one got hurt and we fled to the outskirts of the city. Ended up in the Military's scrap yard. Hiding out there was easy enough and then we discovered this place beneath it. Imagine our surprise when we learned that this was your base."

"...Did you two drop your jaws, slap yourselves in the face a few times, then start arguing for an hour or so?" Razor asked, his visor over his eyes.

"...Yeah. How'd you…?"

"The security cameras are still operational, so that's good news," Razor noted.

"...You have security cameras down here?" Mac asked.

"I installed them when someone kept eating the special snacks I bought for myself," Razor narrowed his eyes at T-Bone, who looked away and began to pitifully attempt to whistle.

"Anyways...One day after we decided to stay down here, the nukes happened. It...It was horrible," Mac frowned, taking a shaky breath, "So many lives...all lost in an instant. I…" he choked a sob back, "...I still can't believe what I witnessed. We...We just saw the place just last night before going to Sleep Mode, arguing about something. It...It was a horrible sight. We actually went in your truck-like thing to check it out."

"And the audio part of the security cameras check out as well," Razor smirked, glaring at T-Bone behind his visor.

"...Please, continue," T-Bone pleaded under his breath as he tried not to look at his little buddy.

"I...You wouldn't believe how it looked," Mac put his hand in his other hand, the thumb rubbing the back of the other, "A…" a tear actually fell from his optic, "...I had to give a little girl mercy."

"Mercy?" Sonic repeated.

"...He...He had to kill a little girl that wouldn't have lived without being in agony for the rest of her life," Felicia informed, sadness etched on her face.

"A piece of iron was impaling her! She was sobbing loudly, calling for her mother that was crushed under a large wall of a building the iron came from!" Mac shouted, slamming a fist on the metal coffee table, "And...And when I had my gun aimed for instant death, she...she actually smiled at me! She fuckin' smiled at me! Why?! Why did an innocent girl have to die?!"

"E...Easy now, Mac," Sonic informed, putting a hand on the Metallikat's shoulder, "It...If you don't want to talk anymore, we can handle that."

"No," taking a shaky breath, Mac looked at the three Kats, "They...They need to know how we're like this. After...After that happened, we raided every single bio, tech, and bio-tech lab that was left and brought it all down here. We slowly became peaceful over the years, not really wanting to do any bad deeds, but do good ones, going from criminals to scientists. Eventually, after a lot of reading and trying things out, we started to slowly upgrade ourselves. Let me tell you, I may have missed having something between the legs, but the agony of getting hit down there was something I never missed."

"...What'd you do?" T-Bone asked, feeling a bit of sympathy.

"I said something. Don't really remember. I think about her figure or her sister or her cooking. ...Maybe her backseat driving?" Mac replied with a shrug, "I kinda deleted my memory involving that accident to forget the pain, but Molly makes sure to remind me at times that I did something to give me that pain and each time I delete it, she reminds me by doing it again. And, I guess we do owe you guys nearly a millennia of rent, so any favors you need, we'll help with."

"I'm...I'm gonna need a bit to think about this," Razor admitted.

"Same," T-Bone nodded.

"We took everything from the place that was above this place and put them in bedrooms in the original section of the place," Mac informed, "Ma'am, we have a guest bedroom between those two that you may stay in and one to the left of the one that has all those comic books in it for you two. I'll come get ya when Molly's got dinner done. Let me tell ya, I missed food and thanked God for the latest upgrade we did to let us have digestive systems back and sense of taste."

* * *

**Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15, then this becomes an actual story.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so with all of them being more than just one sentence or statement and actualy try to at least ask something about the story-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Story 3: Skylanders: The Ancient Tale**

**Originally, I didn't want to even try to play this game series, but after a friend of mine showed me a few clips of the first game, I got pulled into it. While I don't really care for Spyro's new design all that much, I will admit that I do love the designs of quite a few of the characters and their personalities and voices. *grumbles* Still trying to find a Pop Fizz and Terrafin...*clears throat* Anyways... Spyro the Dragon and Skylander are owned by the respected owners of the franchises and not by me. If I did own them, I'd have had them use the original Spyro's design or the third Legend of Spyro game's design. That one looked awesome.**

* * *

Life sucks. That was all he knew. Though things had been good for the first fifteen years, it went downhill with finding out his mother had terminal cancer. He was a frantic worrier, he would admit it. It only got worse when he found out he had been failing badly and was close to losing his scholarship for when he would graduate high school. And, if not to make things worse, his sister just had to floor it by mistake when their mom screamed at her during a small practice drive. In fact, that was all he could recall last. After that was a painful sensation and then nothing.

"Hey! He's waking up!"

"Boomer, will you be quiet?"

He'd thank the whispering one later. First, he'd bopped this 'Boomer' guy for the roaring. Slowly, his eyes opened before zipping open completely. There, standing over him, was a humanoid shark. Its muscular arms had the lower halves of them covered in bandages while his back sported what seemed to be a perfect covering of hardened rock. It also wore a pair of black pants and combat boots.

"Hey there," the shark greeted.

The teen screamed. The shark screamed. He turned to see a purple, almost pitch-black, dragoness with a vermillion underbelly, a green-skinned troll with an orange beard, a blue jumpsuit, a utility belt, bulky cobalt and silver gauntlets, and a sack with explosives, a giant tree-like humanoid with a red torso, green leaf 'pants,' red bark over the right lower arm ending with what appeared to be a crystal-clear acorn fused to it, and a pair of wood 'horns' on the sides of its head, and a humanoid eagle-like being without wings and blue and silver armor with a jetpack and a blaster connected to it. The teen screamed once more, earning screams from all but the tree and dragoness. The teen moved back before running off, screaming still.

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real!" the teen repeated over and over.

"Hey! Wait! Stop!" the teen turned to see the hawk running after him, waving his arms.

"No way, José!" the teen barked, "You're not sacrificing or eat me-eeeeeeeeeeek!"

"And he fell off the side," the hawk facepalmed before turning to the shark-like being, "You just had to do that, didn't you, **Terrafin**?"

"Hey, not my fault, **Jet-Vak**," the shark snorted before the dragoness frowned at him.

"You were right in his face when he was waking up," the dragoness pointed out.

"…Shut up, **Cynder**," Terrafin frowned before a blur landed before them.

"Okay, who let the new **Portal Master** fall off the island?" a voice demanded.

Before them was a purple dragon. His underbelly, 'mohawk' of spines on his head and tailing down to his tail tip, tail tip, and curved horns on his head were all gold. The underside of his wings were orange with the middle parts of the top of the wings having tiny claws. On his back, shaking in fear, was the teen that had fallen.

"Th-th-th-th-the island is f-f-f-f-floating…" the teen whimpered.

"Of course it's flying," the giant of the creatures noted, "This _is _**Skylands**, new Portal Master."

"P-Portal Master? Sk-Sk-Skylands?"

"…You don't know that, laddie?" Jet-Vak asked, making the teen freeze up and try to hide deeper behind the purple dragon's wings before squeaking.

"What happened to my hands?!"

"…**Tree Rex**, you got a mirror?" the purple dragon turned to the tree giant.

"Yeah, yeah, **Spyro**," the giant replied as he held up a mirror, "Here."

Slowly, the teen looked at the mirror and squeaked in shock. In the reflection wasn't a teen like he had been, but instead of six-year-old. He still had the moppy black hair and water-colored eyes, but his clothes had been changed to something more…fantasy-like. He wore a green vest that he swore was made from some sort of leafy material, yet felt like normal clothing. Under that was a white button shirt with long sleeves, ending in gold cuffs on his wrists. He wore a pair of jeans with a gold buckle shaped like a circle with a crystal in the center and running shoes.

"How am I a kid again?" the boy pondered, "You didn't turn me into a kid to eat me, did you?"

"…What is with you and thinking we're gonna eat ya?" the troll asked.

"…Um…I' rather not say or you'd be insulted by stereotypes," the kid gulped as he hid deeper behind Spyro.

"Come on now, you guys," Cynder snorted as she slowly walked behind Spyro, "Come on, now, I promise you I won't try anything."

"I might," Terrafin joked.

"Not helping, laddie," Jet-Vak frowned as the child zipped under the now-sitting Purple Dragon, who was glaring at Terrafin with the others.

"Hey, now, don't worry about Terrafin," Spyro assured, "He's all bark, but no bite."

"Yeah. Unlike me," Tree Rex smirked, "All the bark _and_ the bite." He lowered himself to try to keep eye level with the child, "I'm Tree Rex. It's nice to meet you, new Portal Master."

"…It…It's nice to meet you, too?" the child gulped before looking at the red forehead Tree Rex had, seeing three 'leaves' carved into the forehead, "Wait…Y-You're Tree Rex!"

"That's what I said," Tree Rex noted as the child began to rummage through his backpack before looking up at Tree Rex in surprise.

"The toy isn't in here…So that means…You were the toy I kept in my backpack?!" the child gawked.

"Toy? Oh, yeah. Forgot I got shrunk 10,000 years back…" Tree Rex muttered as the child began to look through more of his backpack before staring at the others, trying not to look up.

"I'm missing some of my toys and they look like you all…So that means…" the child looked at them one by one, "You were the toys that my grandpa gave me! The ones he found when he was seven in a crater near his house!"

"We are?" Boomer asked before Cynder's tail got him, "Ah!"

"That's right," Cynder replied, "Though, I see that you're not looking up at Spyro."

"Oh, well, it's just that I feel like me looking at him may cause something bad to happen," the child replied sheepishly, "I mean, out of all of you, he's been the one I always felt was my lucky charm."

Spyro smirked a little at that before patting the child's head, causing him to sigh a little in content as the purple dragon began to scratch the top of his head. After a few moments, the child managed to get the hand off.

"B-But where am I? Why are you all so big and alive? Why am I a kid again?" the child asked.

"Well, in order," Cynder noted, "…Jet-Vak?"

"Aye, lassie. Now, laddie, you're in Skylands. It's a place filled with magic! From the air we breathe to the very life of the world itself," Jet-Vak explained, "This is where we all lived before being sent to Earth. When we were travelling to Earth, we found out we began to shrink and turn into those wee little toys of yours, though I don't know what went on during my time as one." He got agreements from nearly everyone there, "But as for why you're a wee laddie…We're not too sure about that."

The sound of thunder reached their ears. The child whimpered as he covered his ears and shied into Spyro. He hated thunder. Thunder meant that lightning was approaching and thunder was also loud. He just hated loud noises. He felt something poke him in the shoulder and turned to see Spyro's claws holding a manga that had been fished out of his backpack with the note 'In case of Thunder' attached to it.

"Here," Spyro offered as the child took the manga before turning to the others, "Skylanders! We need to get to some shelter for the Portal Master."

"I've been on this Island before. Hopefully, it hasn't changed much in 10,000 years," Tree Rex replied as he walked off, leading the others.

* * *

"Achoo!" the child sneezed inside a large cave.

"Bless you," Boomer noted as he tossed another stick into the fire.

"Sorry again," the child apologized to Tree Rex.

"Yeah…I'm alright," Tree Rex assured, "I've kinda gotten over this thing. Sides, you're just using my shed bark."

"And I still say that you shed more than Hot Dog," Terrafin pointed out.

"That's a relief. I mean, when he sheds, we need all the Water Skylanders there just to put out one of the Forest Fires he causes when he escapes the normal place we have him stay during his shedding period," Cynder noted.

"Good thing this place was still here," Spyro noted.

"Yep. It was a good place to enjoy some peace and quiet," Tree Rex noted as he walked outside to enjoy a 'drink' of the rain.

"I don't think any of us expected for the rain falling so fast after the thunder," Jet-Vak noted as Terrafin shook some water off him.

The child shivered at the mention of thunder. He was just glad his emergency book didn't get wet. He sneezed once more.

"Bless ye, laddie," Jet-Vak pardoned.

"Thank you," the child sniffled once before Boomer tossed him a tissue.

"Blow, don't snort," Boomer ordered as his tongue went into his nose and then bring it back into his mouth with a pile of boogers, "I heard Portal Masters need to blow their boogers out instead of just snorting them back in."

"Icky," the child stuck his tongue out.

"Aye," Jet-Vak agreed, turning green.

"I wonder if I could do that?" Terrafin pondered.

"Terrafin!" Tree-Rex groaned before a yawn made them look at the child.

_'Ugh…Forgot being six meant my body isn't as tough…'_ the child thought as he began to fight to stay awake.

"We'll be fine," Cynder promised, gently rubbing his tired back, "Sleep now, Portal Master."

"Good night, everyone…" the child yawned as he fell asleep.

* * *

_ The child walked along a dirt road. Slowly, he came upon a Cliffside, looking out at a large cloud. Suddenly, the cloud glowed before shaping into a head of an elderly man with a blue horned helmet and soft, blue eyes. The child squeaked as he dashed behind a rock on the Cliffside._

_ "Greetings, young Portal Master. I have been waiting for you."_

_ "Um…H-Hello?" the child greeted as he slowly peeked out from behind the rock, "Um…Wh-who are you?"_

_ "I am **Eon**, your guide in this world,"_ _the head replied, "Skylands is an ancient world filled with wonder and mystery. For generations, the Portal Masters and Skylanders have kept peace and balance in this world so that all creatures could thrive." He sighed sadly, "But now…our world is in great danger. **The Darkness** is spreading."_

_ "The…Darkness?"_

_ "An ancient power said to have been the root of all evil," Eon replied, "Skylands needs your help. A great adventure awaits you, young Portal Master. I have sent my assistant Hugo to seek you out. We will speak again…soon. Also, please take care to call yourself **Neros** from now on. Until we contact one another, young Portal Master!"_

* * *

"Neros…" the child mumbled as he began to wake up…only to scream at how close the snoring Terrafin was.

"I'm up! Who's there?!" Terrafin yelped as the Skylanders assumed battle positions while the child hid behind Spyro while staring at Terrafin.

"Ugh! That's twice he's woken up to your ugly mug," Tree Rex groaned.

"_Ugly_?! I'll have you know the chicks dig my looks!" Terrafin argued.

"They mostly want to eat you," Boomer pointed out.

"Shut up, Boomer!" Terrafin argued, his eyes blank and his mouth bigger with the shark teeth in his mouth bigger than normal, before they began to head out once Spyro and Cynder had managed to get the new Portal Master calmed down.

"So, Portal Master…" Boomer began.

"Neros."

"Huh?" Boomer paused in his question and looked at the child, staying on Tree Rex's shoulder while petting the woodpecker on his back.

"I'm Neros," the child replied.

"Okay! So when do I get to blow something up, Neros?" Boomer asked.

"What?" Neros blinked as Jet-Vak used his air-pack to fly up to him.

"Laddie, Boomer here has a wee problem with blowing things up. In fact, all his games are called 'Boom' and all almost involve in an explosion," Jet-Vak whispered before saying aloud, "But he's got a heart o' gold."

"Ya got that right! So let's find something to blow up! Like some sheep!" Boomer grinned.

"…He loves sheep," Terrafin informed.

"…Really? I wouldn't have guessed," Neros sweatdropped, earning snickers from Cynder and Spyro.

_"Help…"_

"?! Tree-Rex, wait!" Neros called, making the Giant stop.

"What's up?" Tree-Rex asked as the woodpecker flew Neros down to the ground.

"I heard someone!" Neros informed as he ran off, "This way!"

"Ah! Neros, wait! Stay on the path!" Spyro shouted as everyone ran after him.

_"Help…"_

"I hear you!" Neros called as he managed to slid down a rock that he managed to hop on, "Hold on! Just keep talking!"

_"You…can hear me?"_

"I can!" Neros shouted, "Where are you?!"

_"So…wet…"_

"Wet?" Neros repeated before skidding to a halt before a river, "Is it moving water?"

_"Aye…"_

"Hold on!" Neros called as he jumped into the river.

"Neros!" Boomer called out in worry, "Why'd he have to jump into the water?!"

"Whatever he heard must be in there," Cynder noted before Tree-Rex shot his hand into the water and pulled Neros out, holding onto something.

"You okay?" Tree-Rex asked as he put the soaked boy down.

"I'm okay!" Neros replied before holding up a set of three figurines and a glowing green gem, "And I got these, too!"

"Aren't those **Traptanium Crystals**?" Cynder pondered.

"Yeah!" Terrafin recognized them, "Nice job, finding these, Portal Master. Now we can catch any villain in our way and turn 'em good!"

"Huh?" Neros tilted his head.

"Hey. Don't these fellas look familiar to you?" Boomer asked as he pointed at the three figurines Neros has also gotten out of the river.

"Hmm…Hey! Aren't these two **Swap Force** Skylanders?" Cynder noticed.

"And one of them's a **Trap Master**!" Jet-Vak exclaimed.

"Huh?" Neros tilted his head "Um…A little explanation for the kid here, please!"

"Oh, right!" Spyro chuckled, "Well, you see, Master Eon, the last Portal Master before you, had this huge library and, sometimes, we'd go check it out."

"Years ago, laddie," Jet-Vak informed, "In a land known as the **Cloudbreak Islands**, a team of Skylanders lived, defending it from all forces of evil. What they protected the most were four Elementals representing all the elements of Skylands and the Cloudbreak Islands' volcano, know to replenish all the Magic in Skylands once every hundred years. The last eruption was when Master Eon was still new to being a Portal Master and was recruiting new ones. He had already recruited sixteen and sent them to protect the volcano during that time. Unfortunately, they were trapped in the eruption of the volcano after successfully defending the Elementals during that time from the Darkness. We're not sure what happened to them, but Master Eon was able to discover that, using his **Portal of Power**, that they gained the power to swap their lower halves with each other."

"Wow~!" Neros awed, his eyes replaced with stars before looking down at the three figurines before holding the last one up, "And this one?"

"It's **Snap Shot**!" Terrafin exclaimed.

"Who?"

"He's a **Trap Master** Skylander. They're in charge of the **Cloudcracker Prison**," Spyro informed.

"Snap Shot's a good buddy of mine. He's from a long line of Crocogators that live in the remote Swamplands where he hunted **Chompies** for sport…"

"…What a Chompy?"

"…I'll tell you once I'm done with the story, okay?" Terrafin asked before resuming, "After he rounded up every evil critter in his homeland, he ventured out into the world to learn some new techniques to track down more challenging monsters. He bettered his skills with Elves and wolves. Soon, he became the most revered monster hunter in Skylanders. Master Eon sent me out to catch him. We tussled a lot against each other until he became the leader of the Trap Masters once he mastered that pure Traptanium bow and sword of his." He sighed, "Didn't really see much after that." He grinned, "But when I did? Hoo boy! After catching up, we'd go all out on each other, see how strong we've gotten from before! Last time I counted, he was beating me by one point."

"But why's he like this, then?" Neros asked as he held up Snap Shot.

"I…I'm not sure," Spyro replied.

"It could be that we need to find a Portal of Power to heal them," Cynder guessed.

"Yeah. Maybe there's still one where the temple is," Spyro assumed, "Let's get going!" Neros sneezed, "_After_ we get the Portal Master dried off."

"I'll get the bark for the fire," Boomer offered before Tree-Rex cleared his throat, "…May I have some bark?"

* * *

"We're nearing a village," Spyro informed, "Neros, we're going to be meeting a tribe of **Mabu**. They're calm, peaceful people."

"Yeah. Except when I got pulled out of Skylands after beating that Arkeyan King, they were all slaves to those robots," Tree-Rex frowned.

"Uh…Spyro? Do rocks fly in Skylands?" Neros asked.

"No, why?" Spyro asked before Neros pointed at flying rocks all over the village, "Oh."

"Hurry!" Jet-Vak shouted as he flew off first to the village.

"Look!" Tree-Rex pointed out, "Someone's landing while the others are leaving!"

Everyone began to make their way to a windmill near the entrance of the village. There, pacing before the windmill, was a strange creature. It was on its hind legs with a book in its hands and glasses. It wore a green jacket with books in the hood and was worrying.

"Is that a Mabu?" Neros whispered to Tree-Rex.

"Yeah. He is," the Giant nodded.

"Master Eon said help would be coming. He said to be right here…" the Mabu worried, "First, the Core explodes, then I start hearing voices – and NOW I'm in he middle of a village being ripped apart by who-knows-what. Clearly, I am losing my mind."

"**Hugo!**" Boomer shouted.

The Mabu screamed in fright before turning around to see the others, "Holy…! Whoa! Spyro!" the purple dragon nodded as he landed before him, "Master Eon was right! That means he did find another Portal Master to help us. I, of course, never doubted it for a second, heh."

"Then what was that about earlier?" Cynder sweatdropped as Terrafin poked his head out of the ground.

Hugo ignored them and shouted out, "I know that you are watching, oh great Portal Master! I am Hugo, and we have much to do! This village needs our help!"

"I'm right here, Mr. Hugh Go!" Neros informed on Tree-Rex's shoulder, petting the woodpecker's head once more.

"Hm?" Hugo looked up and screamed, his eyes going into points as his tongue flailed wildly out of his stretched down mouth, "A GIANT?!"

"Yes, yes I am," Tree-Rex chuckled, banging his torso twice.

"What about me?" Neros frowned.

"Hm? A child?"

"He's the Portal Master," Terrafin informed as the group began to cross one of the bridges.

"What?!" Hugo exclaimed before a flying rock destroyed half of the bridge they had walked past, "…I didn't do that."

"Don't look at me," Terrafin and Boomer said at the same time.

"…Does anyone else hear ringing?" Jet-Vak asked.

"Look," Cynder pointed down a path.

Everyone went down it, Tree-Rex picking up Hugo and putting him beside Neros on his shoulder. Neros held his hand out to shake hands with Hugo and Hugo returned it. They came upon a Mabu wearing a pot for a helmet and ringing a bell near a path blocked by debris.

"Excuse me!" Jet-Vak called, earning the attention of the Mabu.

The Mabu turned and cheered, "We heard the Skylanders were all gone but it is great to see you're here!"

"What happened here?" Neros asked.

"That main road was destroyed and now the townsfolk are all trapped inside. It's very dangerous," the Mabu informed.

"Allow me," Boomer smirked before pulling out a few sticks of TNT, "Allow me."

"Dynamite?!" Neros exclaimed before whimpering.

"Here," Spyro sighed as he flew up and pulled a manga that had a sticky note on it that read 'In case of loud noises not thunder-related.'

"Thank you, Spyro," Neros thanked, hugging the dragon before taking the book to calm his nerves down.

"…" Hugo looked at Spyro.

"He's got a problem with loud noises," the dragon explained before the dynamite went off and destroyed the debris blocking the Mabu from fleeing.

"Thank you, Skylanders!" one of the townsfolk thanked as they ran off to evacuate.

"Great job, Boomer!" Spyro nodded.

"Aw yeah! Sweet job! Now about that gate…" Terrafin pointed at a gate with a lock on it ahead.

Cynder looked in over, "It's locked with a strong magic. We'll need to find the key."

"Woody, can you put me down please?" Neros asked, "I wanna help find the key."

The woodpecker nodded, liking the name the Portal Master gave it. Woody picked up Neros and flew down to the ground. Once he was down, Neros began to help look around before finding a large, gold key beside a house.

"I think I found it!" Neros called.

"Allow me," Terrafin nodded as he picked up the key and headed off to the gate, quickly unlocking it and letting more Mabu run up.

"Hey! You're Skylanders, aren't you? Thanks for helping us get out!" he thanked before he and the others ran off.

"I sure hope there's a balloon left!" one of the younger Mabu called.

"The Mabu are leaving the village," Hugo explained, "It's a mandatory evacuation."

"Th…Then why are we here?" Neros asked, a bit frightened.

"Don't worry," Spyro comforted as he put the child on his back, "We'll protect you." Another explosion went off with a mad cackle from Boomer, "Boomer!"

Neros whimpered as he held his ears. He didn't like loud noises outside of music! They really hurt! Boomer came running over with a glowing piggy bank and a key.

"Isn't that one of the **Legendary Treasures**?" Cynder asked.

"A what?" Neros asked.

"They're special items connected to all Skylanders, be they old or new," Cynder explained as she looked up at Tree-Rex when she said 'old,' "But we're not sure what they can do since there hasn't been one seen in centuries."

"I unlocked another gate!" Boomer called nearby, "And there's a guy here wanting to speak with us all! And he doesn't have a sheep, I asked!"

"WHAT IS WITH YOU AND SHEEP?!" Terrafin's voice barked before the sound of something hitting a coconut went off in the air.

"…Terrafin sounds upset," Neros whispered, earning a chuckle from Spyro.

"Boomer's always been a problem with him. One time, Boomer blew him up by accident and Terrafin just won't let it drop."

"Ah," Neros nodded as they came upon a Mabu in a Viking helmet.

"Oh, am I so glad the Skylanders are here! And that there are so many of you!" the Mabu informed, "We have a doodle of a problem here." He pointed at a bridge with a turtle the size of Tree-Rex on it, "See? The bridge is out and people are trapped on the other side of Turtle Gully. Gosh! I hope they're okay."

"Don't worry. As new Portal Master, I promise we'll do our best to help!" Neros declared.

"You're the new Portal Master?" the Mabu asked.

"What's wrong with me being a Portal Master?" the boy pouted.

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to insult you!" the Mabu apologized, "A…Anyways, Blobbers over there can't move that Turtle – could you please help him?"

"Tree-Rex?" Neros looked up at the Giant.

"You got it," Tree-Rex smirked before they went over to the turtle and the Mabu is robes before it.

"By Pythagoras' Theorem!-!-! You're a Skylander, aren't you? Good thing you're here! I've got a big brain but pretty puny muscles," Blobbers informed.

"What do you need?" Tree-Rex asked.

"I could use a powerful hero such as yourself to help me move this turtle."

"No problem," Tree-Rex nodded before he easily picked the turtle up and put him aside, "There we go."

"Thanks, Skylander!" a little girl Mabu thanked as the Mabu there ran off to evacuate.

"Will the turtles be okay?" Neros asked.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Cynder assured as they went on.

"Hey, down there!" everyone looked up to see a balloon.

_'That sounded like Joe Swanson from Family Guy,' _Neros thought before seeing the feline-like Mabu in pilot clothing and a red scarf near the balloon.

"Name's **Flynn**. Hugo told me to meet you."

"I sure did," Hugo nodded.

"Boy, you got here just in time! I can see what's causing this island to shatter. Come here and I'll show you!" Flynn called.

"Okay, Mr. Flynn!" Neros called up as the group began to climb up to him before he froze, "WAIT!"

"What's wrong?" Spyro asked.

"I…I feel something," Neros informed before pointing at a downward path, "It…It feels like how I found these guys."

Spyro's eyes widened, "You guys go ahead. I'll go with the Portal Master."

"Hold on," Terrafin raised a fist, "I'm coming, too."

Neros and Spyro nodded. The trio went off, Neros staying on Spyro's back as they went down the slope. They stopped before a large circular gate with a glowing, violet star in the center.

"This is an **Elemental Gate**," Spyro recognized, "I read about these. They respond to Skylanders of a certain element."

He walked up and put a paw on the gate. The emblem glowed before fading away, revealing a path made of stardust for them. The two Skylanders walked on the path before seeing a set of turtles before them.

"Really?" Terrafin asked.

"I…I feel it. It's on the other side! Spyro, Terrafin, we need to move the turtles out of the way!"

"We will," Spyro nodded.

The group went on to move the turtles out of the way, revealing a path to a glowing gem with the image of a skeleton in blue armor on it and a set of figurines below it.

"That's a **Soul Gem**. With it, the strongest power of a Skylander awakens," Spyro explained.

"Really?!" Neros awed.

"And I know these guys," Terrafin noted, "**Chop Chop**, **Whirlwind**, and **Pop Fizz**!"

"Pop Fizz?" Neros giggled, "I like that name!"

Neros ran over and picked up all the figures. He looked over the Pop Fizz one and giggled, wanting to hug the guy once he figured out how to bring him to life, before putting him away in his backpack. He reached out to the Soul Gem and touched it. His eyes dilated as images filled his head. He could see a massive army of robots, conquering Skylands. Slowly, the image faded away, revealing Chop Chop wandering all over Skylands for centuries, looking for his creators. Eventually, he saw Master Eon finding Chop Chop and recruited him as a Skylander. He shook his head as his eyes turned to normal before realizing the Soul Gem was gone.

"What was that?" Terrafin pondered, earning Neros's attention, "You touched that Soul Gem and it just tuned into energy and went into you!"

"It…It did?" Neros asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Anyways, let's get back," Spyro informed.

Nero nodded as he climbed onto Spyro's back. The purple dragon roared before running off, Terrafin following after them. As they climbed up, Neros found a scroll. When he opened it, he frowned at not being able to read the words.

_"While the shape and size of a Portal can vary, under the control of a true Portal Master, these mystic devices can connect two points in space, dimension and, if we are to believe the ancient legends, even time. Portal Masters can then send Skylanders and magic to the other side."_

_'Master Eon?'_ Neros thought as he looked around while the two Skylanders caught up to the others…and to the sight of a massive glowing twister heading their way slowly, "Oh…Oh my…! A…Tornado!"

"See that twister? It's a big one all right! But I've got an idea. What we're gonna do is…" Flynn informed before screaming and running to his balloon with Hugo just before a rock collided with the tall point they were on, sending the Skylanders and Neros falling off it and landing (Neros's landing slowed because of Spyro gliding down).

"That was close! It's okay! You go on ahead! I'll take her around and meet you back here later with Hugo!" Flynn informed.

"Bye-bye!" Neros waved.

"You again!" everyone looked at a nearby gate with a shield and two swords on it to see Blobbers on the other side.

"Mr. Blobbers!" Neros called.

"Thank goodness! I'd gladly escape this raging tornado – EXCEPT these **Monster Gates** are in my way," Blobbers informed.

"What's a Monster Gate?" Neros asked, uneased.

"Monsters always stake out their territory by putting up these gates. And these are particularly nasty little monsters too – hungry little Chompies!" Blobbers informed, "I'll be on the safe side, thank you – it sure beats being on the Chompy side! Um…which is where you all are." Neros screamed in fright at that before Blobbers added, "But don't worry – these gates will open once all of the monsters have been defeated. So all _you_ have to do is just get rid of all of the Chompies in there and everything should be just fine! Heh-heh! Good luck!"

A low snarling noise made them look behind them. Standing there was a child-sized, green creature with large teeth and eyes on stalks. Neros screamed before running off and hiding behind a rock as the Skylanders began to attack them. One came close to Neros and he began to back away in fright. He yelped as he tripped over something. Looking at it, it was a circular stone with a clear center that had a soft glow to it.

_"Now is the time, young Portal Master. Place a Skylander on the Portal of Power and awaken it!"_ Eon informed.

"Please help!" Neros cried out as he put a Figurine on the stone circle just as more Chompies that avoided the Skylanders jumped at him.

Light erupted from the circle as the runes on it lit up. An emblem resembling a blue circle with a drop of water appeared in the air before shooting down a white beam before Neros, knocking away the Chompies surrounding him. The sound of something going through the air echoed three times before the cries of three voices echoed.

"**Croc and Roll!**" an Australian voice roared out.

Slowly, Neros opened an eye. Then he opened the other once he realized nothing was near him. Slowly picking him up and putting him on its back was a Skylander a foot taller than Terrafin. His scales were all blue in different shades. He wore gold armor mixed with leader and metal on his torso, shoulders, lower arms, hands, and lower legs. His head sported four horns while his hands sported two gems in the shape of either a bow or a sword-like arrow.

"Are yoos okay, mate?"

"Are…Are you Snap Shot?" Neros asked.

"You bet I'm, Portal Master. Glad ta see yoos know who I am."

"Terrafin told me about you."

"Terrafin did, eh? Well, mate, guess I owe that guy a bonzer meal later," Snap Shot chuckled before looking around, "Mind if I join in?"

"Go ahead."

Snap Shot smirked. With that, he charged into battle. He jumped into the air and dived down, plunging his 'sword' into the ground. A blue energy pulse erupted around him, knocking away the Chompies and turning into spheres of energy that he quickly absorbed. He spun around, knocking a charging Chompy away with his bow before slicing another Chompy with his 'blade.'

"A…Amazing…" Neros whispered in awe as the Skylanders finished fighting the Chompies off, causing the gate to fade away.

"Oh yeah!" Terrafin whooped, "Snap Shot, what happened?"

"**Kaos** blew up the prison, freeing all the prisoners within," Snap Shot informed, "The blast did something to use and scattered us all over Skylands!" he looked over at Neros, "That the new Portal Master?"

"He is," Terrafin nodded.

"Well, he's a dandy one," Snap Shot nodded before the group went on, ending up before two Elemental Gates; one with the drop of water and the other with a gold gear in a circle.

"Ah!"

"Which one?" Spyro asked.

"Both!" Neros replied.

"Boomer, take the Tech Gate with me," Spyro ordered, "Terrafin, you and Snap Shot go to the other. The rest of you, help with the evacuation."

"You got it!" Cynder nodded before pecking Spyro's cheek, "Stay safe, okay?"

"Y-Yeah," Spyro blushed as the dragoness went off.

"…" Neros grinned teasingly, "You like her~!"

"Be quiet," Spyro frowned.

"You~ like~ her~!"

"Boomer!" Spyro snapped.

"Fine, fine, fine!" Boomer waved him off as he opened the path, making a metal bridge form.

"Wow~!" Neros awed.

"Yeah. Each Elemental Gate has its own path," Spyro chuckled as they entered the area…and immediately stopped before a blade could get them, "Uh…Maybe I should've let Snap Shot and Terrafin take you."

"No!" Neros argued, "I wanna help the Skylanders that are trapped! They're your family, right?"

"Family?"

"Uh huh. You're all family since you work together, right?" Neros asked, recalling his dad's way of talking about his job having the workers consider each other family.

"…" Spyro tapped his chin before shrugging, "I guess so."

The trio went on, slowly avoiding the blades. Eventually, they came upon a hat themed after an anvil that Boomer immediately put on with a grin and three more Figurines. Neros was quick in collecting the Skylanders and presented them to the two.

"Looks like you found **Drobot**, another Giant that looks to be the Fire Element, **Eruptor**, **Happy Trigger**, and **Ignitor**," Spyro noted, "Let's wait until we're at a good enough safe place before summoning them, okay?"

"Okay, Spyro!" Neros nodded before pocketing them into his backpack.

The trio proceeded to make their way back. Avoiding the blades once more, they slowly made it to the entrance of the Elemental Gate as the two that went into the Water Gate came out, Snap Shot carrying a small sack.

"Found some more of us, mate," Snap Shot informed, "Two of them are Trap Masters and one's one o' them Swap Force mates."

"How can you tell?" Spyro asked.

Snap Shot opened the small bag, pulled out one of the figurines that resembled a lizard of some sort, and held it by its base and head before pulling lightly, causing it to split in two along the waist.

"What?!" Neros exclaimed before he looked at the ones he had and followed what the Crocogator did, "Ah! They can do that?"

"Apparently," Snap Shot shrugged before handing the bag to Neros, "Here yoos go, mate."

"Thank you," Neros nodded as he pocketed them into his backpack.

"Ahhhh! The tornado!" everyone heard Blobbers up ahead.

"Let's go!" Neros shouted as he ran up Tree-Rex's arm and sat in his normal spot on the Giant.

"Sure…Go _towards_ the tornado…" Terrafin muttered sarcastically as everyone ran off.

"It might be **Whirlnado** after some bad chili again," Spyro offered.

"Who?" Neros asked.

"We'll tell you later," Cynder assured as they reached the Mabu, standing before a destroyed area.

"Hobson's knee goiter! The royal Mabu palace is completely gone! And – on no! LOOK!" Blobbers pointed at where a small group of Mabu were trembling behind a gate with Chompies all around the front of the gate, "The royal family is trapped! You must save them!"

"Um…Boomer! You and Terrafin go find the key! Spyro, Cynder, Snap Shot, get 'em!" Neros ordered.

"Glad to see he's finally giving decent orders," Cynder playfully whispered to Spyro.

"Cynder," Spyro chuckled before the trio charged, the purple dragon leading in with flames coming out of his mouth as black/purple lightning came from Cynder's and the Traptanium Crystal Weapons glowed in the Trap Master's hands.

In a few minutes, the Chompies were defeated and the Tech and Earth Skylanders had found the key. Terrafin handed the key to Neros and pushed him to the gate. The boy unlocked the gate and lost his breath as the four royal family members instantly smothered him in a group hug, giving their thanks. They proceeded to run off with Blobbers until they managed to get out of the area, soon coming upon the balloon with Hugo and Flynn.

"You did it!" Hugo cheered as they approached, "Thanks to you, all of the villagers managed to evacuate just in time!"

"That's a relief," Neros sighed.

"I'm afraid there's no time for that, new Portal Master," Hugo informed sadly as they watched the tornado, "This is only the beginning. There are reports of terrible disasters all throughout Skylands."

"Yeah, well there is gonna be another one if we don't get moving. That tornado is right on top of us!" Flynn urged.

"Oh…right! We should get to safety! I'll explain everything along the way," Hugo informed.

"But what about Tree-Rex?" Neros asked in concern, looking up at the Giant.

"Just think of him getting small," Hugo informed, "Master Eon told me you would have a power that would help protect the Skylanders just as much as it will protect you."

"…Just think about it?" Neros pondered before looking up at Tree-Rex, "Well…Um…"

Sticking his tongue out childishly, he began to think. Spyro put his hind paw on Cynder's tail, the dragoness nodding her thanks since she nearly tackled the young Portal Master for the cute look he was sporting in his thinking. A soft glow came off of Tree-Rex and Woody before they became a glowing green circle with a leaf in it before zipping into Neros's hands, turning into a figurine of Tree-Rex. Within moments, the balloon was off with Spyro and Cynder flying alongside of it at the sides. The only ones in the balloon were Flynn, Hugo, Snap Shot, and Neros. Everyone else had been turned into Figurines by Neros and were stored in his backpack.

"Will they be okay?" Neros asked.

"No idea, mate," Snap Shot replied, "But I'm sure they'll be safe with ya."

"Thanks, Snap Shot," Neros smiled up at him before looking at Hugo, "Mr. Hugh Gao…"

"_Hugo_," the Mabu corrected with a chuckle.

"What's going on? Why was that tornado there? What emergencies are happening?" Neros asked, _'Why am I here?'_

"To tell you that, I'll need to tell you this first. For as long as anyone could remember, Skylands was protected by the wisest and most powerful beings of all; the Portal Masters," Hugo began to tell, "And the greatest of them was Master Eon. He and his Skylanders protected the **Core of Light**. For centuries, the Core of Light had enriched the world, holding at bay…the **_Darkness_**!"

"Meep!" Neros squeaked as he hid behind Snap Shot.

"The Darkness is the ultimate force behind all evil in Skylands," the Mabu continued, "Spyro knows this better than others."

"Huh?"

"When I was still a new Skylander, I had a run-in with the Darkness. In order to protect others around me, I had to absorb the little bit that was there," Spyro informed before his purple scales turned solid black as his horns and spikes turned silver, **"This new ability formed from it for me."**

"Wow~!" Neros awed softly as Spyro changed back.

"He's only allowed to use it for a few minutes at a time, though," Cynder informed, "We're not sure exactly what it could do to him if he uses it for long periods of time."

Neros nodded as Snap Shot motioned for Hugo to continue.

"Okay. Before you came, Eon was the last of the Portal Masters and was growing weaker with age. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the Darkness would return! And return it did. One day, dark, boiling, ominous clouds appeared in the skies near the Core of Light. I immediately ran to find Master Eon."

"And he said to Hugo 'Have you ever known dark, boiling, ominous clouds to be a good sign, Hugo?'" Spyro smirked, "Hugo took his position underground to provide us with support in terms of health recovery items as I got out the word with Trigger Happy. Those clouds were the Darkness."

"It was quite scary," Hugo informed.

"When all of us were gathered at the Core of Light to protect it, **Kaos** appeared in the Darkness."

"Chaos?"

"K-A-O-S," Snap Shot spelled for him.

"That hologram of his head looked ridiculous," Cynder pointed out.

"And that part; 'My head is awesome, I tell you! Fear it! Fear my giant, floating head!' made me crack up," Spyro snickered.

"Anyways, the Skylanders began to defend against Kaos's minions, doing their best to guard the Core of Light. But…Kaos had an ace up his sleeve. With one attack, it destroyed the Core of Light!" Hugo informed, "I was underground at the time, so I didn't see what it was. But that was the day Skylands lost the Core of Light and the home of the Skylanders became **the Ruins**. From what you've shown me, some of the Skylanders were actually brought to your world long ago in your world's time, turning into Figurines. The explosion also seems to have affected all the Skylanders in Skylanders, turning them into Figurines as well. Your power to turn them back and forth may be a good thing with this new crisis afoot."

"But…But what happened to Master Eon?" Neros asked.

"He…He survived the blast, but was changed. He became…a spirit. Though, without his body, he couldn't fight Kaos and the Darkness," Hugo informed, "That is why he searched and found you, young Portal Master."

"But…why me?" Neros asked.

"Master Eon told me once that when Portal Masters are brought to Skylands that were not born here, their bodies transform into who they represent and their minds are also altered in minute ways," Hugo informed.

"What?!" Neros exclaimed in shock.

"Yes," Hugo nodded, "Flynn, turn to the right up ahead. We're going to the Ruins to use as our base of operations."

* * *

"It was destroyed?!" Spyro and Cynder exclaimed.

"Wow. Talk about bad luck," Flynn noted as Snap Shot nodded while the pilot landed the balloon on an island with a destroyed village.

"Thank the portals we made it back in one piece!" Hugo exclaimed as Neros summoned his Skylanders, "So as you can see, with our Core of Light destroyed, Skylands is in great danger. I'm sure that tornado was no accident. This is clearly the work of Kaos."

"What? No sheep?" Terrafin smirked as Hugo blushed.

"Y-You'll see! They're evil! I just know it!" Hugo assured.

"Kaos. Ooh, that guy really grinds my gears. If you're taking down Kaos, you can count me in!" Flynn informed.

"Glad to hear it, Flynn! **Cali** agreed to help, too!" Hugo beamed.

"Cali? Ahh Cali. I've heard some things about that gal," Flynn informed, "If she's involved in this, count me DOUBLE IN!"

"Splendid! Once you rest up, Flynn will take you to Perilous Pastures with the Skylanders, Neros," Hugo informed.

"I'll prep the balloon for takeoff!" Flynn informed, "After that, I'll get some shuteye."

"And if you bring any more of those…those…sheep, I'll never forgive you!" Hugo shouted at Flynn.

"What's wrong with sheep?" Neros asked.

"They're evil!" Flynn informed before Neros yawned.

"Long day, eh?" Jet-Vak asked.

"N-No…I…I can still…" Neros was interrupted by himself once more with a yawn, "I can still…"

"Bed, mister," Cynder frowned, "It's nearly sundown, too."

Neros tried to argue, but another yawn escaped his lips instead. Curse his child body. Curse it! He fell asleep by the time Jet-Vak had picked him up to put the Portal Master onto Cynder's back to take him to one of the still-intact beds in the Ruins.

* * *

**Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15, then this becomes an actual story. AND I MEAN MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE ABOUT LIKING THE STORY AND/OR WANTING ME TO WRITE MORE! I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS! I WANT A GOOD REVIEW, DANG IT, WITH QUESTIONS AND QUERIES AND ALL THE STUFF LIKE THAT!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so with all of them being more than just one sentence or statement and actualy try to at least ask something about the story-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Story 7: The Unlimited Potential of Piracy**

**A few days ago, I was looking around at the crossover section for One Piece (I just got the Day One Edition of the new One Piece game for the 3DS two days ago and I love it!) and noticed a distinct lack of Megaman stories. There should be more of them, dammit! Anyways, I don't own anything. They belong to their respective writers and creators. Though if I owned them, I'd finish the canceled Megaman Legends 3 and have more Mega Man Star Force games than just the three! If I also owned Minecraft (owned by its respected owners), I'd cover Foxy the Pirate's ship with Creepers and have them blow it up with him on it.**

* * *

"Is what you desire...recorded there?"

**Nico Robin**, known as the **Devil's Child** and **Ms. All-Sunday**, ignored King **Nefertari Cobra** as she gazed upon the large, black, imposing cube before her, a single side written with a strange language. While the whole world may seem to be unable to look at them as more than mere scribbles, to her, Robin could read them fluently. Yet...This one was amazing, stunning. A tale of a man who dreamed of a world where humans and those different were on equal grounds. He created his very own children and gave them true life. Yet, hardship followed. A rival, wanting domination over all, began to use other creations the man made in plans to dominate. The middle of the three children of the first man, since the eldest had ended up missing, asked to be modified to combat the other man and his forces to try and protect them all. As she read the words inscribed upon the stone, she was unaware she was actually reading it aloud in her depth reading. Battles against beings that could create blades of elements, unleash lightning in ways one would never expect it to perform, even an alien being of grand power! And all without even devouring an Akuma no Mi and losing the ability to swim! Even if this stone was only saying a small summary of just two tales of heroics, perhaps the last ones known, and the beginning of hero, she felt it was incomplete. As if...it wasn't what she was truly looking for. Slowly, the battles began to fade out and the man, finally entering his final years, began to build one last son. The youngest of them all, it would take thirty years for him to be complete-thirty years the man did not have.

"'To you, reader of my special code, this is the only one of the stones I was able to use my robotic assistants to hide that I and my daughter made to tell of the years before they began to take over the world. Blues...Rock...My two eldest sons are gone now, but I leave to you in this stone they key to the youngest two of my children who still live. My daughter does not know it, but while she rested, I placed her in the only available pod connected to my youngest son,'" Robin read, "'The two within this container are living beings much like you are, but also different. My only daughter...she told me she wanted to be a nurse before he began to try to perform world domination. If you could, find it in your heart to try to help her dream flourish. As for my youngest, I left all that I could to him. His codename is Pluton, but his true name is **X**. "X" is the first of a new generation of Robots which contain an innovative new feature-The ability to think, feel, and make his own decisions. His sister is also being given these new features while she rests with X. However, this ability could be very dangerous. If "X" or Roll were to break the first rule of Robotics-"A robot must never kill a human being"-the results may be disastrous, and I fear that no force on Earth could stop "X." Roll, possibly, but not "X." Approximately 30 years will be required before we can safely confirm their reliabilities with the removal of the need to obey the three laws from their systems. Unfortunately, I will not live to see that day, nor do I have anyone to carry on my work. Therefore, I have decided to seal them in these capsules behind this new alloy I created just for this containment, which will test their internal systems until their reliability has been confirmed. Please do not disturb the capsules until that time. If that time has since passed, then touch the left side of this container and "X" and Roll will awake. "X" possesses great risks as well as great possibilities. I can only hope for the best. This is **Thomas D. Light**, September 18th, 20XX.'"

"Thirty years? It's been considerable longer than that," Cobra whispered, _'Does...Does that mean it's safe to open it, or…?'_

"A fitting place for a state secret," a gruff voice noted, making the two turn their heads to see the man behind everything going on above them enter, "You wouldn't be able to find this place without knowing where to look…" he walked up to beside Robin, "...So is this a **Poneglyph**, Nico Robin?"

"...You arrived quickly, **Sir Crocodile**," Robin noted as Cobra watched them, the arms sprouting from his own keeping them pinned behind his back.

"It's rather...Hmm, I'm not quite sure how to describe it…" Crocodile noted, "So can you decipher it?"

"...Yes."

"Then read it aloud. Read this Poneglyph…" Crocodile grinned darkly.

_'Oh no…! If he finds out about...'_ Cobra began to think before Robin began to speak.

"'Alabasta is conquered by Kahira, in year 239 of the Heaven's Calendar...'"

_'Wh...Why is she not telling the true history in it?'_ Cobra thought in shock as Crocodile stopped her, demanding information on Pluton.

"That is not recorded here. There is only history written here," Robin informed in a half-lie.

"What?" Crocodile growled.

"The name 'Pluton' isn't mentioned in this passage even once."

"...I see...What a shame."

"!?"

"You were a most capable partner, but I'll be killing you here," Crocodile informed gravely.

"!-!-!? Wha!?" Robin's eyes widened as Cobra's eyes did the same.

"The arrangement made between us 4 years ago has now come to an end. Back then, you told me this…"If you lead me to the Poneglyph, then I will give you information on the secret weapon." The work you've done for Baroque Works these past four years," Crocodile began to assume a fighting stance, "Were invaluable thanks to you intellect and leadership. For me, that was enough. You were a highly useful woman. However! At the very end, you broke your promise to me…!" Robin barely avoided the swipe aimed at her, her hat taking the golden hook aimed for her head, "The Poneglyph of this country failed to give me any leads on Pluton!"

* * *

"Zzz….Zzz…" a young boy, around seventeen, snored on the grass outside the royal tomb, injuries all over his body, "Zzz…" the ground began to rumble, awakening the boy, "Huh? Hm!?" he got up with a yawn, "Ah, that was a nice nap." he started to come out his his sleepy state, "...That's right. My body couldn't move all of a sudden...And I couldn't help but take a nap…And...Now that I'm all better..." he bopped his fist into his palm, "Ah-" instantly getting up fully, he began to charge in anger, "Crocodiilee! I'm gonna kick your ass!" he dashed right past a revealed hidden stairway before going back to it and glaring at it with strained eyes, "That hole...It's Croc-like."

* * *

"Water?" Crocodile asked as he looked down at Robin's form, blood coming out of the wound he delivered to her stomach area with his hook, "I will forgive everything, Nico Robin. Because, you see...I never trusted anyone, from the very beginning…" he continued as he walked away from Robin, "I've already verified Pluton's existence from Cobra's reaction earlier. I can find it myself without relying on this cryptic block of junk! It's all a matter of time once I take over this country…!" his eyes widened as he felt the area start to rumble, "What's going on?! It's still too soon for the palace square bombing…" glancing over at the Poneglyph, his eyes settled upon the glowing writing as Cobra rested against the side of it, "Ah, it must be you...What did you do…!?"

"Nothing much, really...This Poneglyph...contains one final hope…from the **Void Century**..." Cobra informed, _'X...Please...If you truly are the legendary Pluton...Then help us in our darkest hour!'_

The cube began to glow brighter before it seemed to start folding in on itself. Crocodile watched as the Poneglyph finished collapsing to expose a pair of strange glowing containers, back to back. Within both containers, a lone figure rested within each, suspended in a glowing liquid. One appeared to be a young girl, no older than fourteen. Her long, blond hair was done in a ponytail with a green bow. Her red dress went down to just above her knees, letting what was under her knees be covered in red boots with white soles and buttons on the sides. The top of the red dress had a white piece connected to it with two black orbs on the front. Her arms were covered in black sleeves with white cuffs on her wrists. The other figure, despite being unknown to him, made a small sense of something well up in Crocodile. The man seemed to be around the same age as the girl, possibly between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and seemed to have a decent build. He wore a black bodysuit with a set of white lines going up from the middle of the front of his legs upwards on the middle of his body. He wore the strangest armor he had ever seen. Blue armor in various shades adorned the lower arms, shoulders, torso, head, and lower legs. Ruby jewels covered the elbows and kneecaps with a gold border on the tops and a white border on the bottoms. White trimming adorned the wrists on the armor with a pair of white gloves covering the hands while white armor covered the area that turned from his legs to his feet with gold soldes on his boots. White detailing on the torso armor seemed to make an 'X' in it with the white line on his bodysuit going into the bottom of the letter with a white and cyan belt around his waist, a pentagon emerald trimmed in gold acting as the buckle. His helmet was a series of blue shades with a pair of black rings trimmed in gold on the sides and a ruby gem directly on the helmet's forehead area. Sirens blared out of the two containers as the bottoms opened, exposing vents that instantly released the glowing liquid, revealed to be just plain water. Crocodile put his hand on the ground and the water instantly dried up. Hissing came from the pods before the tops opened and let the clear glass slid down, letting the two fall over.

"What? Children were in that?" Crocodile raised a brow before a wall nearby exploded, revealing the injured teen, panting hard as he glared at Crocodile, "You again, **Strawhat Luffy**?"

"I've cornered you now, Croc…!" the teen declared.

"How...Are you still alive?" Crocodile demanded, "Why must you come after me again and again no matter how many times I kill you?" he started to tremble in anger, "Well, STRAW HAT!?"

"How did he…" Cobra pondered before noticing Robin's small movements.

"Mugiwara…" Robin whispered.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO KILL YOU BEFORE YOU'RE SATISFIED!?" Crocodile roared out.

"You still haven't returned...the thing you've stolen…!" Luffy scowled.

"'The thing I stole…?'" Crocodile repeated with a dry chuckle, "Money? Fame…? Trust…? Is it life?" he began to chuckle madly, "Or perhaps the rain!? Kuhahaha! What is it you want back? I've stolen so many things, you see."

"The Country!" Luffy declared, none of them aware of the two figures starting to open their eyes, the girl's a calming ocean blue and the boy's a fierce, serene emerald.

"Country!?" Crocodile repeated, "You're an odd fellow...I'm only about to steal the country now...By becoming its new king…!"

"No, when I came here, it was already stolen!" Luffy argued, none of them seeing how the blue-wearing teen was watching the interaction, "Her country was nowhere to be found!" his entire body trembled, unaware of his irises turning into dots with rings in them, "If this were really her country…" he rushed right at Crocodile in rage, "THEN SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SMILE A LOT MORE!"

The blue armored teen's eyes widened as he witnessed it. The one called 'Strawhat Luffy' had struck the man, apparently named 'Croc' by 'Strawhat Luffy,' with a swiping kick...with the leg stretching like rubber. ...What kind of robot was he? The kick impacted with 'Croc's' face and sent him rocketing backwards.

_'What the...How can he kick me without any water…?'_ Crocodile thought as he began to get up.

"CROCODIIIILEE!" Luffy roared as he stretched his right arm back as he charged at 'Croc.'

"Wai-" Crocodile's sentence was cut off by the punch that impacted with the center of his face, sending him slamming into a wall and breaking it apart, "Ku...Ha...It...It can't be…" of the two from the capsules, the male's eyes widened as he saw that Luffy was bleeding, "You used your _blood_!?"

"Blood works just as well as clumping up your sand, right!?" Luffy calmly asked as he held up his bleeding right fist.

"First Rainbase, and then the Royal Palace," Crocodile laughed madly, "And now… this underground temple!" Luffy and the male just looked on at him, wondering just what he was trying to say here. "You should be rewarded for your insistence on challenging me," Crocodile went on, "Even though I put you through hell twice now, you keep coming back."

Luffy went for another attack, forcing Crocodile to jump out of the way so that Luffy went slamming through the wall this time. As Cobra and the male watched, Crocodile reached for his hook and pulled off the golden part to reveal that there was another hook just underneath it. Only this one seemed to be made of iron and was embedded with large holes with a slight pink haze drifting from it.

_'Poison?'_ the male thought.

"You're a pirate, Straw Hat!" Crocodile declared and Luffy's eyes widen a little in confusion when he saw that, "You certainly proven that with your determination to defeat me no matter the cost." He stood back up. "And I'll admit that you've become an annoying persistent opponent during our three encounters!"

Luffy stared at the hook before he asked, "Alright. What's that?"

"A poisonous hook," Crocodile stated as he held up his weapon and let the golden hook covering fall.

"I see," Luffy noted simply, clearly not caring.

"You seem to be a confident pirate I suppose, so surely you must understand…" Crocodile said, frowning heavily, "That a duel between pirates is always about two people fighting for survival. And when that's the case, there's no such thing as playing dirty!"

Luffy turned into a battle position as the male began to slowly stand up, not once looking away from them.

"When the explosion happens in the square, this place will most likely crumble to dust!" Crocodile informed them, making the male's eyes widen, "This will be our final battle! Let's settle this once and for all!"

"A...bomb?" the two fighters turned to see the male standing.

"Ah! You're the boy from the capsule over there," Crocodile noted.

"What bomb?" the male asked.

"Croc here put a bomb somewhere in the city near the plaza!" Luffy informed as he pointed at Crocodile, "If it goes off, a lot of people will die!"

"...Understood," the male nodded before looking at the other three on the ground and then at Cobra, "Can you stand?"

"..." Cobra slowly got up and nodded.

"Help her," he motioned to the girl from the other capsule, "Once we're out, I'll start looking for the bomb."

"Thanks!" Luffy grinned.

"Oh no you don't!" Crocodile growled as his left arm all the way up to the gold part of it turned to sand, "I won't let you!"

The male moved to the side and the shot hook zipped past him. Crocodile retracted the sand-made limb and the golden hook as the male picked up Robin. Looking at Cobra, the male nodded before they began to run out of the area and up the stairs. Once they were gone, the two below were immediately at each other's throats, no longer caring what happened to themselves and focusing only on beating the other.

"My boy...Are you the one...called 'X' by the writing?" Cobra asked as they made their way out.

"...Yes...The last words I remember before going to sleep until just a few minutes ago were 'Do well in the future, my son, **Hikari D. X**,'" the male informed.

"A…Your middle name is 'D?'"

X nodded. He wasn't getting it. Why did he seem so surprised at his middle name? A soft moan reached his ultra-sensitive voice recognition system. Looking down, Cobra noticed the girl in his arms was starting to awake just as they got outside. Cobra gently put her down along with X putting Robin down. Slowly, the blond-haired girl's eyes began to slide open, the unfocused misty-blue turning into a soft sapphire/jade blend.

"D...Dad…" the girl mumbled out as she began to sit up before she stopped and ran the palm on her right hand on the ground, "...Why is there grass in the lab?"

"This isn't a lab," X informed, "It's a tomb of sorts, judging by the detailing, the hieroglyphics, and structure."

"?!" the girl gasped before turning to look up at X, "Ek...X?!" she hopped up and looked at him in shock, "Wh...Why are you out of your capsule?! You're not done with...with…" she glanced around before gawking, "WHERE ARE WE!-!-!-!?"

"You've...both been resting for...for well over thirty years," Cobra informed, "More than that...It's possibly been around a good sixteen hundred (1600) years since you've been sealed away during the Void Century."

"Void Century?" the girl repeated slowly before she collapsed to her knees, "Nooooooo...No no no no no no noooooooo…" she bent down, putting her hands on the grass as she started trembling, "No no no no no no no no! NOOOOOOOOOO!-!-!-!"

X moved a step back at the scream she released, trying to stop the ringing that developed in his ears. Cobra gently held the sobbing girl close. He had some experience with crying girls around her age considering his status as a father of a girl.

"It...He said he wouldn't...He promised me…!" she choked out, "Why...? Why did you break your promise to let me stay with you, Papa?!"

"...He had something for you to do," Cobra gently spoke, doing his best to think, "From what Nico Robin over there read on the Poneglyph written by Thomas Light, I think he wanted you to stay by your younger brother, X, and help him in life as best as possible."

The girl continued her sobs, Cobra unsure if she heard him or not. Looking up at X, he nodded to him. X nodded back before running off. He may not know the man, but he could tell that he would make sure his 'sister' was okay. He had to locate the bomb before it went off and he didn't have a clue when it would go off.

"Look! It's **Roronoa Zoro**!"

X skidded to a halt at that shout. Looking past a corner, he saw a strange sight of an injured man in dark-green pants, black boots, a green sash around his waist with three swords in it, a white shirt, a green bandana on his left bicep, three earrings in his left ear, and green hair. Before the man was a group of soldiers from what he could assume by the white uniforms with blue detailing slightly hidden beneath cloaks to prevent sunstroke.

"Damn it, even the **Marines** are here...I haven't got any time to waste…!" the man growled as he began to pull one of the blades out.

"What're you doing here!?" one of the Marines demanded.

"Just where do you think you are!?" a pudgy one added.

"That's what I should be asking you," the man, 'Zoro' X assumed, raised a brow.

"Go back to that corner and turn north to get to the palace square!"

"Turn back and head right! You're going the wrong way!"

"What're you, an idiot?!" a third demanded.

X raised a brow as Zoro gawked at them. In a matter of seconds, Zoro was running off. X was quick in pursuit, surprising the Marines.

"Who was that?!"

"Was he a member of **Baroque Works**?!"

"Crap! He's gonna try to stop Zoro!"

Zoro looked over his shoulder to see X had caught up easily, "Are you looking for the bomb as well?"

"Yes," X nodded, "You are 'Roronoa Zoro,' correct?"

"Yeah."

"...Hikari D. X," the blue-armored warrior informed, "Turn left at the corner and we'll reach the plaza in ten-point-twenty seconds."

"Thanks," Zoro nodded as he went right...making X skid to a halt.

"Zoro! I said 'left!'" X called.

"?!" Zoro skidded to a halt and ran back towards X, "You weren't clear enough, dammit!"

X blinked twice. He wasn't? Tilting his head in thought, he nearly forgot about the bomb to contemplate just how he wasn't clear. Perhaps he wasn't loud enough?

"Come on, dammit!" Zoro barked, snapping X out of his thoughts.

"Affirmative," X nodded as he gave chase, feeling unwell as he witnessed the injured, possibly dying, men scattered about, "This...What is this?"

"A civil war, one manipulated into happening by a pirate called Crocodile," Zoro scowled as they skidded to a halt before a clock tower, facing a large all-out war.

"Is...Is this normal of humans?" X asked, shaking a bit.

"Nah. Only those who feel as if they have nothing left to lose," Zoro frowned, "And what do you mean by that? You're a human as well."

"But...I'm not a…" X began before looking up, "Does the face of a clock tower normally open?"

"Wha?" Zoro looked up to see the clock tower's clock did seem to be slightly opened, "I don't think that's normal."

"Do you suppose the bomb is up there?" X asked.

"Can't hurt to check," Zoro smirked, his hand resting on the white blade of his three swords.

The two quickly ran up the stairs, X keeping ahead of Zoro. The swordsman narrowed his eyes at the armored guy before him. He didn't even seem tired at all from going up all these steps. As they ran by a window, X skidded to a halt and looked out. X's broad-range eye camera zoomed in to see the sight of a man-sized falcon falling from the sky, injured badly and looking as if he had been caught in an explosion.

"What is it?" Zoro asked.

"Someone shot a bird in midair from here," X scowled, "A peregrine falcon if I'm cross-referencing correctly."

"Cross-what?" Zoro raised a brow, "Whatever. Now we know for sure the bomb's up there if someone's shooting from up here."

X nodded with narrowed eyes. The two kept on running up before getting to the roof part of the tower that led into the actual tower part. X stopped when he noticed Zoro stopped and looked down. With his sight, X could make out a group of people and what appeared to be a reindeer-like robot down on the ground.

"Hey! I've been looking for you guys!" Zoro shouted.

"You're up there too, Zoro!?" the orange-haired girl X could make out exclaimed.

"...Why is there a woman from a harem down there?" X asked Zoro, pointing at the orange-haired girl.

"Who's that, Zoro!?" a man in bandages and a long nose shouted.

"This is X!" Zoro replied, "What're you guys doing down there?"

"THAT'S WHAT I WANNA ASK!" the long nose shouted.

"Well the Marines kept telling me, "Head North, head North," so I thought I should climb up here…" Zoro informed before pointing at X, "But this guy said they meant to turn left."

"DO YOU EVEN KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 'NORTH' AND 'UP!?'" long nose demanded, "In any case...Good job! Just get up there and-"

"It's no good…" X looked at the blue-haired girl that he faintly heard speak, "You can't head inside the clock tower from where those three are at. To get to the top of the clock tower, you have to use the special staircase located on the first floor!"

X's eyes widened. Then...Then he and Zoro ran up the wrong way! Looking at the clock tower, his inspected every angle of it. Narrowing his eyes, he calculated what needed to be done. As everyone else watched as the face of the clock opened up fully to expose the cannon, X ran towards the side of the tower. He jumped and landed on the side. As he began to slide down, he made another jump and got up higher. Repeating his wall jumping, he scaled up higher and higher towards the opening. He began to faintly make out two figures. One was a woman in a frog-themed outfit with frog-themed guns in her hands. The other figure was a man in a purple robe with his white hair fluffed up around his head and sunglasses above his closed eyes. X was a bit confused on how a man could have so much of his facial features resembled the number '7.' He ignored it to press on in his scaling.

"Tic Tac Tic. Hey, listen, **Mr. 7**, I feel we're important characters," the woman noted.

"That's right, Miss Father's~~Day~~~."

"I wonder if we can get a promotion after this...What do you think?" Ms. Father's Day giggled sinisterly.

"Haha! That'd be awesome! So good, **Miss Father's Day**!" Mr. 7 laughed, "Because-Ah oh!-We're going to use such a big cannon toward the center of the crowd and shoot! So good! Hahaha!"

I think not," X stated as he landed between them, grabbing their frog-themed gun and 7-themed gun and crushed them.

"Gaaaaah! Wh-Who are you?!" Miss Father's Day exclaimed in shock.

"My name is 'X,' a robot designed by Dr. Thomas D. Light," X informed, "To protect the innocent lives below, I will not allow you to fire this bomb!"

"Oh? What are you going to do?" Mr. 7 asked before X picked them up by the front of their clothes and hung them on some hooks nearby, "Gah!"

"H-Hey!" Miss Father's Day exclaimed, "You bastard! Put us down right now!"

"Using the correct method, you can get yourselves down. By then, though, the bomb will be taken care of," X informed as he entered the cannon and narrowed his eyes, "A time bomb." hearing the sound of something landing, he turned to see the blue-haired girl from the floor landing with what he assumed was the reindeer-robot, but bigger now.

"...How did you change like that?" X asked the reindeer-robot.

"I'm a Reindeer who ate the **Hito-Hito no Mi**, so now I can change into different forms!" the figure informed.

"And you?" X asked the girl.

"The bomb!" Vivi shouted.

"Ah! Oh, you're right," X nodded before turning to the bomb and opened the armor of his left hand, revealing a small array of items, including a pair of scissors, "I can disarm the bomb. I was in the middle of analyzing where the wiring lead to and which one would detonate the bomb if cut." he cut the white wire near the bottom and the ticking stopped, the timer halting at '00:00:15,' "Bomb disabled."

"Whaaaaa!?" the two Baroque Works agents exclaimed in shock as X walked out of the cannon.

"Th...there was a timer on the bomb?" the reindeer-robot asked, making X look down to see that it had shifted to the size of a small child while also noting the pink top hat with a white 'X' on it.

"A doctor?" X asked.

"Yes. Mr. Doctor is a great one," the girl nodded.

"Shut up!" the reindeer-robot snapped as X began to witness the strangest wiggling dance he had ever seen in the last half-hour of his awakening, "J...Just because you're calling me the best doesn't mean that I like it! Asshole!"

"...You are not pleased?" X asked.

"He is. He seems to be unable to take compliments, though," the girl laughed sheepishly, "Oh yes! I am Vivi."

X nodded before looking at 'Mr. Doctor,' "There's injured at a tomb nearby. One has a stab wound through her midsection that needs to be treated immediately."

"Ah!" 'Mr. Doctor' froze before adopting a stern look, "Lead me there!"

X nodded before looking at the two agents, "What about them?"

"I've got an idea," Vivi informed before cutting the lighting rope from the cannon and quickly began to tie them up...while they were still on the hooks.

"Oh come on!" Miss Father's Day snapped, "At least let us down!"

"You will be," a voice informed before X looked at the opening to see the injured falcon there, its form now humanoid, "Once the authorities arrive."

"P...**Pell**!" Vivi exclaimed.

"This place holds a lot of memories," the humanoid falcon noted, "It's the Suna-Suna Dan's secret base…" he glanced over at Vivi, "Really, you were such a noise child...You gave me a headache almost everyday. Princess Vivi, I am very pleased that I am able to serve the Nefertari Family. It's something from the depths of my heart that I am so proud of." he looked at X, "Who are you?"

"My name is 'X,'" the robot informed, "Please, can you take Mr. Doctor and I to the royal tomb? A man and a woman are injured there, the woman having a stab wound through her midsection."

"Wait," X turned to Vivi, "I'll go with Mr. Doctor, Mr. Warrior."

"...I'm not a warrior," X noted.

"Yet, you helped save us from this bomb by disarming it," Vivi informed, "I'll go with them. Please, try to stop the fighting."

"...Why do they fight?" X asked.

"...There has been little rain these last few years," Pell informed, "The men not in uniform are rebels believing the king was the cause of it with forbidden Dance Powder."

"...Then only rain will make them stop," X informed, "But, I will stay and keep guard of these two to prevent the bomb's detonation until it can be safely transported to the bottom of the sea."

Pell nodded. He didn't know the man, but his princess seemed to trust him. It was then the ground began to rumble. Glancing out to the east, where the royal tomb was, X was able to see that nearly halfway towards it, the ground began to bubble up before exploding, letting something shoot into the sky in a smoking, sandy spiral. X saw that it was Crocodile, beaten thoroughly to the point of unconsciousness.

"On second thought, we need to get down that hole," X informed, "A young man named 'Luffy' is down there most likely, having just beaten Crocodile."

"Luffy?!" Mr. Doctor exclaimed in shock before running to the hole and shouting down, "Everyone! Luffy's in a hole that just formed nearby! Try to get him out of it!"

"Let's get going," Pell informed.

"Vivi, can you stay here? If it starts to rain, we need someone from the Royal Family to calm the masses," X informed.

Vivi nodded. X waited until the other were flying off before slumping down beside the cannon. He gazed up at the sky through the opening and began to feel the connection. It was old, but out in the sky was still a satellite. It amazed him at how, despite its age, that it was still fully operable in terms of video. Closing his eyes, he connected to the satellite's video feed and awed at the sight of the planet that was being gazed upon. A singular ring stretched across the planet vertically with a long series of islands littered all over it. There was even a small set of islands in the sky, even! And was...was that a city of gold?! Miraculous! Opening his eyes, X smiled a little in amazement as he watched as rain began to finally fall. This was Earth? It was marvelous.

* * *

"King Cobra!" Pell shouted as he swooped down and landed, changing into his normal human self.

"Where's the injured?!" Mr. Doctor demanded before blinking twice.

"Hm? A robot doctor modeled after a reindeer?" Roll pondered, pausing from packing up her medical supplies in the satchel she had on her body.

"I'm a Reindeer!" Mr. Doctor snapped, his eyes blank and his teeth shark-like at the insinuation.

"Who are you?" Pell demanded before noticing Robin, "Ah! Ms. All-Sunday!"

"Hm? I thought she was called 'Nico Robin,'" Roll tilted her head as she looked over at her left, where the woman was sound asleep with tight bandages on where she had been stabbed.

"Wh-Why did you treat her?" Pell asked.

"I'm a nurse in training," Roll fumed, puffing one of her cheeks up in annoyance, "It's wrong to not treat others just for being bad or good."

The reindeer nodded as he ran over and began to examine the treatments, "Oh, these are some great wrappings! Did you use a forward or reverse wrap?"

"I used a small blend of both on Mr. Nefertari here and a reverse wrap on Ms. Nico there," Roll informed with a smile, glad to see someone noticing her technique, "My dream is to be one of the best nurses after all! One that can help any doctor treat any cure! Except for death, that'll happen no matter how much you want to prevent it. Everything has an end after all." she looked over at Pell, not noticing the reindeer looking at her in awe, "Is there anywhere these two can be moved? They need to stay in comfortable areas, such as beds. The areas need to be clean as well, so as to prevent any infections."

"Uh...Well...We have a medical wing at the palace, but…" Pell began.

"Good! Then let's get there quickly and make sure their wounds don't get exacerbated!" Roll ordered.

By the end of it all, a confused-and slightly frightened-Pell was carrying the reindeer (who was finally able to introduce himself as Tony Tony Chopper to the girl), the robot girl, the king, and the right-hand lady of Crocodile to the palace. It didn't help the Royal Guard member that the reindeer had chosen that, once they had flown over the hole Luffy made, once he saw Luffy was okay, he passed out just as the rain began to fall.

* * *

"You...You were right," Vivi gasped as she watched the fighting starting to die down.

"It's your cue," X informed.

Vivi nodded before standing on the top of the opening, "EVERYONE! PLEASE! STOP FIGHTING!" X smiled as his hearing picked up the voices of the people, all finally noticing their princess, "The rain right now, will fall again like before. Because all the nightmares have ended!-!-!" he frowned as he heard the roars of anger from the rebels involving some sort of attack before hearing someone ordering the royal army to stand down before another voice ordered the rebels to stand down, "I...**Igaram**! Mr. Protector, please stay here with the prisoners."

"Affirmative," X nodded, "And my name is 'X,' your highness."

X watched as the young girl ran off. Closing his eyes once more, he connected to the satellite to observe while he listened. He smiled a little as he watched Crocodile be stripped of a title by a Marine officer. He smiled a little as he saw Pell land to let the man speak, was surprised to find out that the man was actually the king of the land, and applauded the man in how he declared that the war would reunite them all and do their best to live on. He opened his eyes to see the three Marines run in. X pointed at the two still tied up and hanging before he pointed behind him with his thumb.

"Be careful with this. The bomb still has a chance of going off with enough force," X advised.

"Thank you," one of them, the chubby one X remembered when direction Zoro to the main plaza, thanked.

"You're welcome," X nodded.

* * *

X sat in a chair, looking at the sleeping form of Roll. The girl had exhausted herself worrying over and treating everyone there. What the doctors here called the most dangerous poison known to them, she had treated Luffy for it in just under a few minutes. Looking over her bed, his eyes settled on the sleeping form of Nico Robin. The woman was able to read the language his father made with ease and, because of it, the king was able to awaken them at long last. X owed this woman a lot of thanks. He then glanced around at the others in medical beds. The orange-haired woman was the only one still in her covers, content in her sleep. Chopper (Roll informed her of their names as she finished treating them) had his pillow near his feet, the blond-haired man with a curled eyebrow (he and Roll had both analyzed it long enough to know it was purely natural. Along with the other eyebrow) was almost off the bed with only his feet still on it, the upper half of it occupied by Zoro (Roll nearly throttled the man for all the wounds he had until she caught him trying to take the bandages off. Most of the time before they fell asleep after she caught him, **Sanji** the blond man was laughing at how Zoro had been beaten with a broom). The long nose (**Usopp**) didn't have as much bandages as he previously had (X was surprised to see that the nose was natural and Roll immediately declared him a distant relative to the **Tengu**) and was asleep facing backwards with his behind in the air. Luffy was completely sprawled out, a snot bubble in his nose. Turning to the door opening, he saw a large man with his hair done up in horizontal curls climbing up to his head enter, wearing a formal sleeping outfit. It also caught the attention of Vivi (whom Roll also treated since she had minor wounds compared to the others), who was wearing a white sleeping down with a blue blanket on her shoulders.

"Princess Cici, why are you still awake?"the man asked.

"Igaram," Vivi smiled before resuming her observation of the rain.

"You cannot sleep?" Igaram asked.

"I can, but right now...All I want to do is watch it rain. Just for a little longer."

Igaram smiled softly at that. He heard the sound of blankets being moved and looked to see X was putting Usopp correctly into bed. Igaram nodded before he began to help by putting Sanji and Zoro into their beds.

"Ah, Pell, he...He's one of the most proudest soldiers that I have ever seen," Igaram informed with a smile.

"Yes...I really want to thank him once he awakes," Vivi agreed.

"That would be the highest reward for him," Igaram agreed before looking at X, "So...You and the girl who treated Pell beyond what the other doctors could do were resting in what the Royal Family protected for all these years?"

"Yes," X nodded, looking down at Roll with a small smile, "I'm glad your king released us. He...is a good man."

"Indeed," Igaram nodded as he glanced over at Vivi, "He has a way with crying girls."

"I-Igaram!" Vivi blushed.

"But...Is it true? Are you...the Island Destroyer known as Pluton?" Igaram asked, making Vivi gasp softly and look at X.

"...My codename is 'Pluton,' but I do not believe I have the capability to destroy entire islands," X informed.

"X, you must never call yourself 'Pluton' under any circumstance," Igaram warned, "The World Government will not stop pursuing you until you are captured and placed under their power."

"Why would they want me?"

"To control," Vivi informed, "They cannot stand pirates and will do whatever it takes to eliminate them."

"If they have you, then you'll be forced to kill so many innocent lives," Igaram trembled.

The two knew what they were speaking of. Having been part of a criminal organization for two years, they had seen some of the more...darker aspects of the Marines. X looked at Roll as she turned a little in her sleep. His eyes narrowed before facing them.

"I refuse to let them control me. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings," X informed, "If they do actions that threaten other lives, I'll give it my all to try to save just as many lives threatened."

* * *

"Eh? This is an outstanding combination…" one of the elder doctors of the royal family, who had stopped by to check on the injured, noted as he watched Chopper mixing something up with Roll providing the correct amounts of components, "No, truly logical...Very amazing. Where did you learn all this doctor skill?"

"Hihi...Tony-kun is an outstanding doctor from the Drum Kingdom," Vivi informed, walking by with a bowl of cold water.

"What!-! Really!? So you came from the country that used to be very famous for it's doctors?" the elder asked in amazement as Roll giggled.

'Chopper-chan already told me about it the other day,' Roll thought as she glanced over at the snoring Luffy while X was speaking with Robin, 'Three days...I hope their captain wakes up.'

"Shut up!" Roll looked to see the sheepish smile Chopper was giving while pulling a chair out and offering tea, "Quit staring at me! Moron! Get the hell away from me, asshole!"

"Can I take that to mean: 'Please, have some tea and observe all you like?'" the doctor asked Vivi.

"I think so!" Vivi giggled with Roll.

"Goodness! This is extraordinary," the doctor complimented.

"Shut up…"

"Chopper-chan is quite the talented doctor!" Roll complimented with a giggle.

"I'm extremely impressed!" the doctor agreed as Vivi gently wiped Luffy's forehead with a moistened cloth.

"Shut up and get the hell away from me, assholes!"

* * *

"Are you sure?" X asked with a small frown.

"Indeed," Robin replied, "What you did was inexcusable."

"...No one is born to be alone," X informed before he glanced at Luffy with Roll at the same time, not noticing the brief look of shock Robin had.

"He's awake," they said in unison just before Luffy got up and screamed.

"WHOAAAAAAAAH!-!-!-!-!-! I SLEPT VERY WELL!-!-!-!-!" Luffy screamed to the heavens before he began to feel his head as Sanji and Usopp entered the room, "Huh? Hat? My Hat? I feel very hungry!-!-! Where's my breakfast and Hat!-!? Breakfast! Hat?!"

"You just woke up and you're already loud!" Sanji noted, a cigarette in his mouth, "And it won't be breakfast. It's early evening right now."

"Stop moving you," Roll fumed as she walloped Luffy's head with a green broom.

"ITE!" Luffy yelped in shock, "How did you hit me with a broom?! Are you like Jii-chan and his fists?!"

"How are you so active despite just waking up from three days of sleep?" Roll questioned before stretching a small bit of Luffy's arm, "And this body...How are you rubber?" _'And what does he mean by his Grandfather and his fists?!'_

Roll yelped in surprise when an arm grew out of Luffy's arm above her stretching area and put a straw hat on Luffy's head.

"Nurse-san found this near the front of the palace," Robin informed with a small smile.

"Oh, good!" Luffy grinned before noticing the three newcomers (to him), "Eh? Oh! You!" he pointed at Robin, "You're the lady who saved me from the funny moving sand!"

"You mean quicksand?" X asked as he looked at Robin.

"Indeed," Robin informed with a small smile, "Had I not, you would have suffocated slowly and cruelly while bleeding out, dying the sands red with the blood you lost."

"How morbid…" Usopp and Nami whispered as they hid behind X.

"Oh! Why are you here?!"

"My father granted her amnesty from her crimes," Vivi informed, "She's been tasked with using her powers to repair the palace from all the damages caused by the attacks three days ago as agreed upon for her amnesty."

"Powers?" Luffy asked, "You mean how she got my hat and made Sanji and Usopp fly?"

Robin smirked before a bouquet of her arms bloom on her left elbow.

"SUGEI! Oi! Join my nakama!" Luffy demanded before Usopp and Nami slapped the back of his head.

"Don't make decisions that fast!" both barked.

"Why are you hitting him?" Roll frowned.

"It's normal with us," Chopper informed, finding this a good distraction from the doctor's praise aside from the man being called out.

"I'm glad you got well, Luffy-san!" Vivi giggled.

"Got well? I've always been well," Luffy noted in confusion.

"You dummy!" Roll sighed, "You were in a serious condition. Your temperature of 103 degrees for a while, you had poison running through your system, multiple cuts and stab wounds on your body, and how is it that not one piece left a scar?!"

"You look completely healed from what I can see," X added.

"Luffy, these are X and Roll. Roll attended you all this time, helping Chopper and Vivi!" Nami informed.

"Really? Thanks!" Luffy grinned as he stretched his arms out and pulled all four into a big hug.

"Oh hey, Luffy! You woke up?" Zoro asked, wearing a black robe with his sash, bandana, and swords on him.

"Oi, Zoro, long time no see!" Luffy greeted, letting the four go before realizing what he said, "'Long time no see?'"

"Ahh, oi! You went out training again, didn't you?!" Chopper demanded as Zoro poured a cup of water for himself, Chopper and Roll running over to him.

"What? It's my business, right?" Zoro asked.

"No means no! I'm the ship doctor!" Chopper snapped.

"And don't take off the bandages, either!" Roll growled as she whipped her broom out.

"...Sumimasen," Zoro bowed, sweat running down his entire head.

"Your sister is scary when it comes to making sure patients are okay," Usopp whispered as he and X sweatdropped.

X simply nodded.

"'Long time no see'...? 'Long time no see?'" Luffy repeated as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Again, you were asleep for three days, Captain-san," Robin informed with a small smile.

"Three days?! Did I sleep for three whole days?!" Luffy exclaimed in shock before he added after three seconds, "I missed fifteen meals…"

"How come you can calculate so quickly when it comes to food?!" Nami demanded.

"On top of that, in his calculations there are five meals a day!" Usopp added.

"He must be adding a snack and dessert," Roll giggled.

"Did I hear right that the captain is up?!" Igaram, sporting three curls instead of his many, red lipstick, and a red dress, asked as he entered with a pair of cooks pushing in a large cart of fruits and vegetables into the room, "It'll be dinner time soon, so would you wait a little?"

"What…?!" Zoro freaked.

"Oh oi, old tube-hair guy! You're alive?!" Luffy asked.

"S...So you really were into that sort of thing…" Zoro gawked before Roll's broom slammed into the tops of their heads.

"My apologies for these two," Roll apologized sheepishly.

"No, minna. She's **Terracotta**-san," Vivi introduced, "She's Igaram's wife and is also the head of the palace's servers."

"Thanks for helping Vivi-sama and my husband."

"No way…! A wife could resemble her husband, but this is too much!" Zoro muttered with a sweatdrop.

"I heard you eat a lot. Would you have some fruit to hold you over until dinner time?" Terracotta asked.

"Okay," Luffy relied before everyone blinked and the food was gone.

"Are you a magician?!" Zoro, Sanji, and Roll exclaimed with blank eyes and shark-like teeth.

"Occhan, I'm gonna eat three days worth of food!" Luffy declared.

"Looking forward to it! I've devoted my past thirty years to the job of serving!" Terracotta informed, pumping a fist, "I won't lose against a youngster's stomach, so eat to your heart's content!"

* * *

"Th...The heck is this?" Roll gawked as she witnessed Luffy's arms stretching and eating everything he could grab.

X munched on a riceball as he observed how Luffy was eating. It seems that being rubber let his mouth act like squirrel cheeks. He wondered if Luffy could sore food in there for later...but decided against it after seeing how fast the cheeks were shrinking and then growing back up.

"Eat quick or it'll be gone!" Zoro ordered the three newcomers to Luffy's eating habits before Luffy stole the piece of meat he was about to bite into...along with Usopp's freshly obtained cooked lobster.

"Oi, Luffy! You just took the food from my plate, didn't you?!" Usopp demanded, a foot on the table with a knife aimed at the captain.

Luffy, mouth full, shook his head until Nami slammed a fist into one of his cheeks, making him shoot a bone from a piece of meat out.

"Don't spit the food!" Nami snapped.

"Oi, oi, if you eat in a hurry like that, you'll…" Sanji noted as Chopper was slurping up a ton of spaghetti before Luffy could get it.

"We've got a lot, so…" Vivi began to say as Usopp pulled out a pellet.

"Well then, wait and see, Luffy. I'll put the Tabasco Star on this," Usopper chuckled sinisterly as he cracked open the pellet and caused a liquid to cover the rice ball he had on his plate.

Luffy caught the riceball and shoved it into his mouth. His face turned red before tilting his mouth skyward to release a stream of flames. As Roll yelped and began to call for some water for Luffy, Usopp began to start laughing like mad with a camel with long eyelashes. Usopp then noticed the camel was eating at the table as well.

"Oi! **Eyelashes**, when did you…?!" Usopp freaked as the camel laughed again as he ate some steak.

"What do you call that dish?" Sanji asked a chef near him.

"This is called Konafa. You bake noodles in the oven and…"

"Umai~!" Nami and Roll moaned in delight as Robin smiled as she ate her meal.

"It's quite delicious," Robin complimented.

X nodded. While Roll did say he didn't need to eat unless he wanted some extra fuel if his sunlight reserves ever went dry, he was amazed at how food tasted. As food was served, it was quickly picked up by everyone.

"Oi, off man (Oi, old man)! I diffn mow mu mere meh ming (I didn't know you were the king)!" Luffy informed with a full mouth, "Men mu're...muff...Mimi's mad, muh (Then you're...um...Vivi's dad, huh)?"

"W-Well...We can talk after the dinner," Cobra chuckled.

"Meah, mu're might (Yeah, you're right)," Luffy agreed before he began to rapidly eat once more.

"Can I have another mug full?!" Zoro called out.

"Oh~! Strawberry cake~! How I missed you~!" Roll moaned in pleasure as she ate a slice of cake decorated in strawberries.

"Oi, we need some water here!" Sani called as a choking Chopper was banging on the table with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"What a noisy dinner table…" a guard sweatdropped.

"They're too vulgar to keep watching…" another added while Vivi just laughed.

"How can Vivi-sama just keep laughing…?"

Slowly, the guard began to realize just why it was so hard for her to stop laughing. In a matter of moments after that, they began to crack up as well. On the table, Luffy was laughing while as round as a ball with all the food he ate, Usopp was dancing while balancing plates on his nose, and Chopper was dancing with Chopsticks in his nose and mouth.

* * *

"Wooooo!-!-!-!" Luffy cheered, butt-naked except for his hat, as all the males were in a large spring-like room with lion statues dispensing water from their jaws into the large tub in the middle of the steamy room.

"This is the palace's best bath," Cobra informed, "It's usually used in the rainy season!"

"This is great!-!-! Luxury!-!-! Luxury!-!-!" Usopp cheered.

"Such amazing architecture," X noted.

"Aren't you afraid of rusting?" Chopper asked.

"No," X replied, "Roll explained to me that Father created Roll and I to be just like humans, meaning we can eat, sleep, and bathe."

"Can you poop?" Luffy asked.

"What kind of question is that?!" Sanji and Usopp snapped.

"...I refuse to answer on the count of it being awkward?" X sweatdropped.

"So you've got cobalt hair," Zoro noted, "Not the weirdest hair color I've seen."

"You should, Marimo," Sanji smirked.

"What was that, Ero-cook?" Zoro growled before the two began to butt heads in anger.

"I'll be the first to go in!" Luffy declared as he and Usopp ran.

"No, I'll be the first!" Usopp declared before they tripped and began to slide all over.

"Are you guys enjoying that?" X sweatdropped.

"Well, I really enjoyed the dinner. Because of the current situation, I thought we'd keep it simple, but it seems that anything you guys get involved with would become a party," Cobra noted as Luffy and Usopp splashed around in the water.

"Oi Zoro, look at this! We can train here!" Luffy called, causing Zoro to pause from lathering Chopper's back to see Luffy and Usopp under the lions.

"Training! Training!" Usopp declared.

"What training is that?!" Zoro demanded.

"Martial arts," X cross-referenced once more, "Along with various religious practices. One of which has the training as a way to cleanse one of impure thoughts."

"So, where's the women's bath?" Sanji asked, lightly elbowing Igaram.

"Are you nuts?! Why would I tell you?! Vivi-sama's there!"

"Don't be so stingy!" Sanji assured as he slapped Igaram's back.

"It's behind that wall!" Cobra informed, pointing at a wall.

"King! You bastard!" Igaram barked.

"Oh, Ossan! You're not bad at all!" Usopp noted.

* * *

"This feels good~!" Nami moaned in delight as Robin used her blooming arms to wash Nami's back for her, "I wonder if a ship with a big bath like this exists…"

"I'm sure it does, since the sea is so vast," Vivi noted.

"How big is the sea now since it was a thousand years ago?" Roll pondered, recalling the powers one of the twenty figures had was the ability to alter the planet's surface.

"It's quite massive," Robin replied as Roll washed her back before adding, "And I've been on a few ships that had baths this large, but not quite as good as this one."

"We saw Giants...we saw Dinosaurs…" Vivi noted.

"Eh? Dinosaurs?!" Roll exclaimed in shock.

"We also saw cherry blossoms bloom in a winter land...There're more and more things in the sea that are beyond our imagination!" Vivi giggled in awe before Roll squeaked as hid behind Robin.

"Hentai-tachi!" Roll screamed as she pointed at the wall where all the males were peeking over...including Eyelashes the camel.

"Oi, what're you all doing?!" Vivi demanded.

"Those idiots…" Nami sighed before standing up, "It'll be 100,000 berries per person, okay?!"

"Hm?" Luffy tilted his head as Nami turned them, her body covered in her towel.

"**Happiness Punch**!"

"Sh-Shameful!" Roll exclaimed with a blush after Nami let her towel drop.

Nearly all the males fell over with nosebleeds. X looked up with a heavy blush, Chopper tilted his head, and Luffy just laughed and gave a thumbs up.

"Nami-san!" Vivi and Roll exclaimed in shock.

Nami frowned as she watched Luffy go down last, "Do you think Luffy's gay?"

"Where'd this come from?!" Roll exclaimed.

"He didn't go down like the others," Nami frowned, "X look away before he got a good look, Chopper I can get since he's a Reindeer, but Luffy?"

* * *

"Are they all sleeping with funny eyes?" Luffy asked as he pointed at the downed men and camel, all with nosebleeds and hearts in their eyes.

"Let...Let's not disturb them if they are, Luffy-san," X noted, trying-but failing-to delete the memory of the navigator's large E-Cups, _'She really does have orange hair...Gah! Delete memory! Delete memory! _Error_?!'_

"Mellorine…" Sanji moaned in delight.

"...Arigatou…" Cobra thanked after a few more minutes.

"You dirty old man…" everyone said in unison.

"I'm not talking about that!" Cobra snapped before recovering and bowing, "I'm talking about the country."

"Oi oi, is it okay...for a king to do such a thing…?" Zoro asked.

"This is a serious incident, Cobra-sama," Igaram advised, "A king shouldn't bow his head to anyone."

"Igaram...Authority is something you wear over your clothes," Cobra informed, keeping his bow, "But we're in a bath. There isn't such a thing as a naked king."

'Perhaps I should advise against mentioning about naked emperors,' X thought.

"I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart as a father and as a resident of this land," Cobra continued before getting up with a smile, "Domo arigatou. I really appreciate it!"

* * *

"I can't believe we're doing this," Roll muttered in her normal dress as she, Robin, and X followed the Straw Hats on riding a set of horse-sized ducks through the desert.

"Hmm...This is nice," Zoro noted, Robin sitting behind him on the horse-sized duck he was on.

"So this is finally farewell to the sand kingdom…" Usopp sniffled, Roll sitting behind him, before clearing up quickly to look at Luffy, "Oi, Luffy, when are you gonna stop eating?"

"The Alabasta dishes are great!" Luffy informed, X behind him, "Sanji, make them sometime…"

"Yeah. I was interested, too, so I got some recipes from Terracotta-san. Some spices, too."

"Oh, I hope you got the strawberry cake!" Roll beamed.

"Hai, Roll-san~!" Sanji declared, a heart replacing his eye.

"It was nice of them to let us have the books they had on hand there," X noted as he looked through a book on ships.

"Nami, are you feeling sick?" Chopper asked in concern as Nami rode in silence.

"Nami, do you want one piece of meat? Just one piece, though," Luffy offered.

"I believe it is something else," Robin noted.

"...Nami-san, you're thinking about Ms. Vivi, yes?" X asked.

"I understand how you're feeling..but thinking doesn't get you anywhere," Sanji informed.

"You two seemed to be really close," Roll noted, "But cheer up a little. I'm hoping to work along well with you on the ship."

"I...For Vivi's sake...I'm willing to give up...on the 1 billion berries…" Nami calmly informed.

"Of course you should!" nearly everyone shouted.

"So it was about money?!" Sanji freaked.

"Oh my!" Robin giggled.

"Eh?!" Roll exclaimed.

"Ah! Usop fell!" Chopper screamed.

"I'll get him!" X offered as he jumped off and grabbed Usopp before running after them.

"Nami! Don't act misleading!" Zoro barked.

"What?! What're you guys worked up about?" Nami asked, "If it's about Vivi, it's no use worrying about it, right?"

"Oi! Usopp fell and X is chasing us!" Chopper shouted before screaming, "X is catching up so fast!-!-!"

"Leave them be," Nami shrugged.

"It was your fault!" everyone but X and Robin shouted.

"Is he trustworthy, Ms. Nico?" X asked.

"Hai. **Bon Clay** is a special man. When he becomes friends with someone, to him, they're a friend for life," Robin informed with her ever-present smile, "He was quite brokenhearted to hear you all had to be eliminated."

"Oh! Merry!" Chopper shouted as he pointed ahead towards a river where a lamb-themed caravel was.

"A caravel?" Roll asked, "Kawaii! It's a lamb!"

"That's our ship! The Going Merry!" Usopp beamed happily, "It comes from the village I was born in and given to us by my friend Kaya and her butler Merry!"

"Eh? The ship is named after a butler?" Roll asked in amazement.

"He made her!" Luffy grinned with a laugh.

"I've been waiting, you guys!" a voice laughed.

The ducks all stopped before the ship and let everyone off as the voice continued laughing. Roll looked up and shuddered a little, hiding behind X. The man(?) wore a blue, swan-themed ballet outfit with a pink jacket trimmed in white, white fake feathers on his back, and a crown with two puffballs on the sides.

"Long time no see!" he greeted.

"We're here!" Sanji informed.

"Okay, unload!" Usopp ordered as everyone but Robin, X, and Roll began to unload the ducks.

"Are you the one called 'Bon Clay?'" X asked as the man jumped down from the crow's nest.

"Yep!" he replied, "Oh! Who are you?"

"X. This is my sister, Roll," X informed, "We're new members of this ship."

"Oh! A pleasure!" Bon Clay greeted before tapping X's cheek and Roll's cheek, "To have new nakama is so precious! So for you two, I will show you the power of my **Mane-Mane no Mi**!" with that, he touched the right side of his face and Roll was suddenly before the two, wearing Bon Clay's clothes, "Anyone I touch, I can turn into with touching my right cheek," he then turned into X, "And then with my left hand touching the left side of my face…" he touched the left side of his face and changed back, "I change back!"

"Oh! Shapeshifting!" X applauded.

"Creepy…" Roll whispered.

"Thanks, you guys!" Usopp thanked, "We have to say goodbye to you here."

"Have a safe trip!" Zoro waved with the others.

"Say hello to the King, the old tube-hair guy, and the others!" Luffy called.

"And make sure Pell has his bandages changed daily!" Roll added.

"Take care!" Nami called.

"I'll see you...definitely see you again someday!" Bon Clay sobbed, "Hm? Wait a sec!"

"What?!" Sanji asked.

"Don't 'what' me!" Bon snapped, "That's not how you should treat your friend, is it?!"

"See?" Robin giggled, "A pleasure, Bon Clay."

"Nico Robin!" Bon Clay exclaimed, "Ah! So good to see you're safe! Did you find your Poneglyph?"

"Not yet," Robin replied, "But I did find a new crew to take me in."

"That's great to hear!" Bon Clay sobbed happily.

"What do you mean 'friend?' We were enemies. You lied to us!" Luffy pointed out.

"Did you not hear what Robin-san said?" Roll frowned.

"I did," Nami nodded, "It seems he didn't know we were the enemy until long after the fact he was on the ship."

"Even if we're not enemies, why are you on our ship?!" Luffy demanded as the loading process for the ship began.

"You stupid head!" Bon Clay barked.

"What'd you say?!" Luffy demanded.

"Listen! If I wasn't on this ship now, what do you think would've happened to it?!" Bon Clay demanded.

"My guess is that it would have been taken," Roll assumed.

"Bing-bong! Correct!" Bon Clay declared.

"What?!" Luffy freaked.

"Do you know what's going on around this island's perimeter right now?!" Bon Clay demanded, "He declared that the Mugiwara Kaizoku were not allowed to be hunted while on Alabasta as thanks for delivering his daughter back to the country safely! But the Marines are waiting at the sea for you all!"

"What?! Then you protected the Going Merry from the Marines?!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Why?!" Usopp asked.

"How come?!" Chopper pondered.

"Because we're friends!" Bon Clay replied with a thumbs up.

In a matter of minutes, all four were on the ship, laughing and dancing together. Roll and X sweatdropped as they watched and X swore he heard some sort of jaunty partying tune on a piano.

"Do we still have stuff to load?" Nami asked before seeing a trail of hands acting as a conveyor belt for the remaining supplies.

"In other words, Mr. 2...You guys couldn't get off of the island due to the Marine's coast siege, so you wanted to find allies...Isn't that right?"

"Bon-chan!" the Baka Trio screamed as Bon Clay fell over in shock.

"That's right...In a time like this…" Bon Clay sniffled, "Because it's a time like this...Gather! In the name of friendship! Let's unite our strength and fight together!"

"YEAH!-!-!-!" the Baka Trio and honorary member Bon-chan cried out barely.

"Geez…" Nami and Roll sighed.

"Yeah!" a group of men on a swan-themed caravel shouted nearby.

"So, thanks in advance!" one of them added.

"You were there?!" Zoro, Sanji, Roll, and Nami shouted in surprise.

"Cast off!" Nami ordered.

* * *

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

"Dammit! Shoot cannonballs! Then I could repel them!" Luffy complained as Merry looked like a pincushion with all the black spikes impaling her.

"Seriously...Gimmie a break!" Bon Clay shouted.

"This is bad," X noted as he skimmed through a book on ship maintenance, "If any of those spears hits the keel, Going Merry will sink!"

"_SINK_?!" Usopp freaked.

"Oi! X, can you do something?" Luffy asked.

"...Oh, yes," X nodded before clenching his right hand before it went into his arm and was replaced with the end of a blaster, "**X-Buster**."

X aimed and red energy lit up in the barrel. With a single mental command, a sphere of red energy shot out and slammed into the ship that was shooting them with spears, blasting a hole in the side.

"SUGEI!" Luffy, Chopper, Bon Clay, Bon Clay's crew, and Usopp screamed, stars in their eyes, "He fires a _laser_!"

"Here come more!" Nami freaked as more ship began to fire.

"**Roll Buster**!" Roll shouted as red armor formed on her right lower arm and replaced her hand with a blaster as well.

The two siblings began to fire lasers that deflected the spikes shot at them, Robin, Sanji, Zoro, and Nami spotting the shots Roll fired were weaker than X's shots. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were all staring in awe of the two with stars completely covering their eyes.

"Oi! X, keep focused on sinking their ships!" Luffy ordered, "Roll, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, protect the side X isn't on!"

"So this is the Black Cage Unit's specialty, the Black Spear Formation," Robin noted with a small smile, "All of the ships, while at a distance, move together in unison with their target, never letting them escape. However…" she glanced over at X as he shot the keel of another ship and sunk it, _'Pluton is on our side...'_

"They're breaking it!" a Marine freaked, "The formation's being broken apart by someone on the ship!"

"It...They have Nico Robin on their ship!" a Marine screamed, looking through a spyglass, "And...And the one sinking the ships...Is a man in armor with a laser gun for an arm!"

"Eh?! A _LASER_?!" the men of the Marines screamed in excitement, stars in their eyes before one marine vessel exploded and hit another vessel, sinking them.

"Hm?" X looked nearby to see Usopp gawking by a cannon, "Mr. Usopp? Did you do that?"

"Sugei!" Luffy cheered as Usopp looked at them with his fish-like face.

"O...Okay!" he assumed a brave stance, "It was just as I calculated! That's what happens to ships once I'm on the job!"

"Hana-chan, that was amazing! Good job!" Bon cheered, "With you and X-chan, the East and North are clear! Now we can break through there in one shot!"

"Bon Clay-sama! There's trouble!" the lookout on Bon's ship shouted.

"What is it?!"

"The 'Black Cage' is here!"

"Oh no!"

"What's going on?" Luffy asked as X looked through a book of Marines that was the latest update.

"Ah. Here we are. **'Black Cage' Hina**. Patrols the waters of Alabasta for Pirates. Eater of the **Cage-Cage Fruit**, she can turn her body into cages," X noted, "Hm? Mr. Captain, why is your grandfather a Marine?"

"Eh?!" Roll exclaimed as she looked at the page, "H...He's right!"

"Let's hurry and fly the coop!"

"Aye! Bon Clay-sama!" his crew shouted.

"To the east!" Nami ordered.

"The east?" Bon Clay asked.

"Noon at the eastern harbor...we have an appointment," Robin informed.

"Hm?" Bon looked at her.

"We don't have time to go around, so we have to dash through," Nami added.

"We're going there to pick up our friend if she wants to be picked up," Luffy added.

That sold it for Mr. 2. They were going to see their nakama, so he had to do what was right in his mind! Minutes later, Black Cage Hina was livid as her intended targets turned out to be fakes with Straw Hat Luffy being Bon Clay. It only grew worse when a red energy shot slammed into her ship's keel and began to sink it. X smiled from the crow's nest as his buster changed back into a hand.

"I'll need some time to recharge!" X shouted down to the crew, "Mr. Usopp, thanks for calculation the needed angle for that shot for me!"

"No problem!" Usopp gave a thumbs up as they waved to Bon Clay and his crew while they made their escape in the distraction.

_'Even if I go astray as a man… Even if I go astray as a woman…'_ Bon Clay thought as he posed on the back of his ship, his back towards the Going Merry, _'I can't go astray as a person! If we are to fall, we'll fall together into the true sky. If we are to fall, let it be in the sea...The flower of friendship… is rejoicing… I'll make it bloom… Oh, come my way (Okama Way)! By… Bon Clay.'_

"Bon-chan! We'll never forget you!" Luffy sobbed with Usopp and Chopper as the two ships separated.

* * *

"Look! The east coast!" Roll shouted.

"On the shore!" Usop called out, looking out with his goggles.

=I recently...went on a little adventure…= Vivi's voice echoed all over from the speakers on all parts of the island =It was a journey...to cross the dark sea in search of 'despair.' After I left the country, I saw such a vast sea=

"Oh! Vivi-chan looks so beautiful~!" Sanji swooned as Vivi was wearing a white and gold dress with a violet cape.

=And on that sea, I found unbelieveable, thriving islands...Creatures I had never seen before...Sceneries I could barely consider real...At times, the melody of the waves was quiet...swaying gently, as if easing my small worries…= X swore he heard a sad piano music start playing at that point =Other times, the melody was violent...laughing at me, as if it would tear apart my weak heart...In that dark, dark storm, I encountered a single, small, ship. The ship said to me, while pushing onwards… 'Can't you see that light?' This wondrous ship, which never lost its way even in darkness, danced its way across the huge waves=

"It's Merry~!" Chopper sobbed, "She's talking about Merry~~~!"

=The ship didn't fight the sea, but its stem was pointed straight ahead, even during a headwind. And the ship pointed and said, 'Look! There's a light!' History will soon call this an illusion, but to me, it is the only truth. And...=

"Oi, this is bad! More Marine ships are heading this way!" Usopp informed.

"Just how many ships are there?!" Zoro demanded.

"Six," X noted, his eyes closed as he hacked the lone satellite in space once more.

"Dammit! We're gonna sail out now!" Zoro ordered.

"But Vivi's right there!" Roll argued.

=I came to say Goodbye!=

"What did she just…?" Luffy questioned.

=I can't...go with you! Thank you so much for everything! I'd like to go on more adventures, but there's no ignoring...that I love this country!= Vivi informed =So I can't go!=

"Vivi…" Roll whispered.

=I...I...I...I will remain here...but if we ever meet again some day…=

"She's crying," X whispered before noticing everyone but Robin, himself, and Roll jump onto the railing, backs facing Vivi.

=...will you call me your friend again?!=

"Raise them!" Luffy ordered.

As one, they rolled up their left sleeves and held their fists into the air, exposing a black 'X' on the back of their left arms. Vivi and the horse-sized duck beside her held their left limbs up as well, showing their black X marks as well.

"Do any of you get this?" Roll whispered.

"From what I can tell, the 'x' they have on their arms means their bond," Robin guessed.

"Set sail!" Luffy roared out as cannonballs rained down on them.

* * *

"Looks like the Navy stopped following us," Zoro examined.

"Hmm…"

"Hmm…"

"Hmm…"

"The satellite I managed to hack into shows them going to the south of us," X added.

"Hmm…"

"Hmm…"

"Hmm…"

"We did shake them off, right?!" Zoro growled a little, earning more sad moans, "You know...What's with those indifferent replies…?"

"I believe that's why, Swordsman-san," Robin, smiling, noted as she pointed at the second floor of the deck, where everyone but Zoro and the trio of newcomers were sticking their heads and arms out of the spaces in the railing, all looking sadly at a spot beside Chopper.

"I miss her!" all five sobbed.

"Don't be whiny!" Zoro snapped, "If you wanted her to stay with us that badly, you should've taken her by force!"

"Ah! So cruel!" Roll exclaimed in shock.

"We could have done that?" X asked in confusion.

"No!" Roll snapped as she whapped X on the head with her broom.

"Ahh! You're such a savage!" Chopper exclaimed in his tears, glaring at Zoro with everyone.

"You're the worst!" Nami added.

"Marimo," Sanji stated.

"**Santoryu** (Three-Sword Style)..."

"Oi, matte, Luffy," Usopp frowned, "'Santoryu' isn't an insult."

"**Yontoryu** (Four-Sword Style)..."

"You just increased it by one. The number isn't exactly the problem…" Usopp informed, "Listen. You know natto, right? Even if you call natto rotten, it wouldn't..." he then screamed, "That's right! We still need to do that!"

"What's 'that?'" Roll asked.

"Interviews!" Usopp informed, "We had to delay them since Luffy was out of it for three days!"

"..." X quickly looked up the definition, "...I thought we were already allowed to join."

"It's a formal passage," Usopp informed, "I had to convince Luffy to do this since he keeps inviting everyone left and right it seems."

Minutes laters, Luffy and Chopper were watching a sprouted limb on the deck. They moved their upper bodies that they followed the hand part of it as the arm bent back. Once the knuckles were on the ground, a second pair of hands appeared and lightly made the two fall over. The two began to laugh happily before Chopper froze when he saw Robin, wearing a modest violet blouse and purple slacks, looking at him from the table Usopp had pulled out for him, X, Roll, and Robin. Chopper yelped before trying to hide behind Luffy in the peeking position. Only...it was in reverse with his body peeking out. Roll giggled at the reindeer's antics.

"Pay attention!" Usopp barked, "Answer my questions honestly! I'll ask the list one more time since two of you didn't seem to pay attention to me. What are your names?!" he then seemed to realize something and quickly corrected his sitting position, "Ah...I'm Usopp. Nice to meet you. Yeah, nice to meet you."

"**Hikari D. X.**"

"**Hikari D. Roll**."

"**Nico Robin**."

"Okay, then, X, Roll, Nico Robin, what are your occupations?"

"Unknown at the moment," X stated.

"Nurse in training," Roll informed.

"..." Still smiling, Robin replied with, "An archaeologist."

"An archaeologist?!" Usopp repeated in surprise.

"Hai. If it wasn't for her, Nii-chan and I wouldn't be here," Roll informed before frowning, 'And I wouldn't know that Father...did this...'

"I come from a long line of archaeologists," Robin informed.

"Hmm...I see...That kind of family, huh?" Usopp wrote it down on one of the three sheets.

"I became an archaeologist and then was turned into a wanted criminal. That was when I was eight. sInce then, I've spent the past twenty years hiding from the world.

"S...Since you were eight…?" Usopp asked, "By yourself all this time?"

"But then, there was no way for a child to be able to survive alone on the sea," Robin continued, "So, in the end, in order to protect myself and in order to achieve my goal, I've chosen to follow various rogues...So that's how it was."

"So does that mean that Crocodile was just another rogue to you?"

"Yeah, I guess...in order to get closer to the **Rio Poneglyph**…"

_'Rio…?'_ Usopp, Roll, and X thought.

"Thanks to that, I've become good at doing things behind the scenes. I'm sure I'll be able to help you all as well."

"Oh…? You're full of confidence," Usopp noted before him before looking at Roll, "You said you were a Nurse in training, right?"

"Yes," Roll nodded, "I really want to just help cure people and animals. After all, one of the first lessons I learned is that there is a cure for nearly all diseases."

"Why nearly all?" Usopp asked.

"...Death can't be cured," Roll replied after a few moments, "Even robots die. And…"

"Ah! Gomen, gomen!" Usopp apologized as he saw Roll starting to tear up, "X-san, why do you not know?"

"I...am unsure what I was designed for," X admitted as Roll facepalmed.

"I thought you seemed too sleepy that day," ROll muttered before looking at Usopp, "Let me explain, please. Papa created X to be the first of a new generation of robots, ones that could think and make their own decisions without programming limitations nor have the **Three Laws** put into them. Due to this, there was a slight fear that since Nii-chan didn't have any moral programming to dictate his morality or actions, he could become a grave threat to the world."

_'That explains why they call Pluton the 'Island Destroyer,''_ Robin thought.

"Eh?!" Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp exclaimed in shock.

"Which is why X, and apparently myself, was sealed into a special capsule that would test his systems in a myriad of scenarios designed to ensure that X would be able to discern right from wrong and be always willing to do the right thing."

"So would the right thing mean turning in pirates?" Chopper asked, some sweat starting to fearfully form on his head.

"...I don't see a reason to turn anyone here in," X noted, "You all seem like good people and reindeer."

"Urusei!" Chopper barked as he began his silly dance once more, "J-Just because you're calling me good doesn't mean I like it, asshole!"

Roll giggled at Chopper's dance before continuing, "The process should have only taken thirty years, but considering how long we were in there…"

"The **World Nobles** declared that any and all research on the Poneglyphs like you two were in was banned," Robin informed with a straight face, "Anyone who tries is immediately set to be hunted down and killed."

"What?!" Roll exclaimed.

"..." X frowned.

Usopp cleared his throat, "As...As much as I want to know as well, I still don't understand what X's role could be for this crew."

"Papa made X with just one thing in mind; for the people of the future and being a guide to peace and happiness."

"A priest then?" Usopp asked as Zoro snorted nearby, resting against the mast.

"Well...Whenever we talked about religion, people sometimes gave the family funny looks."

"Why?" Usopp asked.

"Well...The Light family always believed that God...is a girl," Roll informed.

"A _woman_ is _Kami-sama_?!" Sanji's voice shouted from the kitchen in joy, "Mellorine~!"

"Well, you've got someone converted with just that sentence," Usopp sweatdropped.

"Ero-Cook," Zoro muttered to himself.

"An...Anyways, X was designed with 'limitless potential.' I don't really get it since Papa normally did the more complex stuff when I had to do other things like make a meal for him or ready another set of shots for his illness at the time," Roll continued.

"Again?!" Nami's voice groaned, making them look over at the entrance to the women's quarters to see Nami walk out with a small box, "Usopp!"

"The music box again?" Usopp asked.

"..." X walked over and looked it over, "I think I can help."

X walked back to the table and put the box down before him. Part of the armor on his left arm opened, exposing small tools. Picking one up, X slowly opened it up by removing the screws. Looking inside, X looked around before taking another tool out. After a few minutes, X closed it up and gave it to Nami.

"There. I managed to rewound the springs that were bent out of shape by constant use," X informed, "It should work almost as good as it did when you first got it. If we stop at an island for more supplies, I'll look for any extra parts so I can use it to better repair it."

Nami raised a brow before opening the top. The ballerina that popped up once the box opened began to spin as the soft melody began to play from it. She slowly closed it with a small smile.

"You're quite the handyman," Nami noted before kissing X's cheek and making the robot blush heavily, "Thanks."

"Um...N-No problem…"

"Okay. So I should write down 'Handyman,' yes?" Usopp whispered to Roll.

"Seems like it," Roll nodded.

"Okay. So since X is good at being someone with 'unlimited potential,' what about you two?" Usopp asked as he wrote down X's role for the crew.

"Taking care of others, cooking, and cleaning," Roll informed.

"..." Robin smiled softly as she put her cheek in her right hand, "Assassination."

"Luffy!" Usopp tilted his head back towards the captain, his eyes blank with tears going to his lips, "This investigation has concluded that Nico Robin is too dangerous!"

"I think they're a little busy right now," Roll giggled as she watched Luffy and Chopper being tickled by Robin's sprouted arms.

"Are you guys listening?!" Usopp demanded, eyes blank and teeth shark-like.

"By the way, how did Robin convince you, Nami?" Usopp asked, "I thought you'd be out here to put her two cents in, but…"

"I spoke with her the other day," Nami informed, her eyes berri signs, "Onee-sama gave me a few jewels she swiped from Crocodile!"

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi…" Usopp and Zoro swatted the air before them in annoyance.

"Nami's been suckered…" Usopp whispered to Zoro.

"That's an evil trick," Zoro frowned.

"She said she's been around a lot of seedy groups," Roll noted, standing between them, "So it shouldn't be a surprise that she did something like that. Also...Is Nami-san always like that?"

"She's a damn witch is what she is," Zoro muttered as Sanji slid down the stair railing behind Robin, carrying two plates and two drinks.

"Oh, love...Floating love…" Sanji spoke as he made a small dance around the table, X swearing he was hearing something like soft jazz play complete with finger snaps and saxophone, "I'm a driftwood that just lays its burnt-to-a-crisp body in that stream…"

"Is that normal?" Roll asked with a sweatdrop.

"I'm driftwood that has been struck by the thunderbolt that is your beauty and caught in a raging torrent…"

"Pretty much," the two replied with deadpan looks before Sanji put a plate and drink before Robin and offered the other two to Roll, "Snack for you both."

"Oh, arigatou," Robin thanked.

"Um...Thanks?" Roll sweatdropped as she took the chocolate cake and tea from Sanji.

"And his reaction is no surprise," Zoro muttered.

"Yeah...We just have to consider that he was a lost cause from the start involving the two new girls…" Usopp added.

"In any case...Now that it's come to this, the two of us original crewmates are the last holdouts," Zoro scowled, standing firm.

"So I guess we'll have to prove to you we can be good for the ship, right?" Roll asked.

"Ye," Usopp nodded, "The others are so simple-minded, or should I say lax."

"Oi, Usopp, Roll!" the two turned, the girl putting her plate and drink down on a barrel beside her, to see that Luffy had made his eyes large and round like Chopper's eyes, made a kitty-like face from his lips, and had a pair of Robin's arms growing out of the sides of his hat, "Chopper!"

"..." Roll held her stomach as she began to laugh as Chopper was slamming the floor with his hooves while Usopp began to laugh so hard he was crying.

Zoro groaned as he walked off. X got up and followed the swordsman. The marimo stopped once he was near the front of the ship, looking out at the sea ahead. X looked at the figurehead and had to admit that he liked the little lamb theme it had.

"Try not to sit on it. That's Luffy's special seat," X looked over at Zoro.

X nodded before bowing, "It is nice to work with you."

"Heh," Zoro smirked, "You were pretty good that day."

"?"

"How did you climb up that wall without anything but jumps?" Zoro asked.

"My gloves and the soles of my boots are designed to create strong friction on certain surfaces, letting my do a kick jump up vertical surfaces," X informed, "I could try to make you a pair of boots if you want."

"Nah," Zoro shrugged, "But...You seem strong. When we get to the next island, I want to spar with you on it."

"Spar?" X tilted his head.

"Yeah," X did not like that glint Zoro had in his eyes before they heard footsteps.

"This ship is nice...Is it always like this?" Robin asked as she walked over.

"Yeah...It is," Zoro replied.

"I see…" Zoro blinked twice at the smile she gave him before she walked off.

_'What is that woman up to…?'_ Zoro thought.

"By the way, Navigator-san...Is it smooth sailing right now?" Robin asked.

"Wind, weather...Both no problem!" Nami replied, "It's going very smoothly, Onee-sama!"

"You definitely got jewelry from her, didn't you?!" Zoro demanded.

"Sanji! Isn't our snack ready?" Luffy asked.

"Just hold on a sec!"

"I'm hungry!" Luffy complained.

"Me too! Me too! Me too!" Usopp and Chopper childishly agreed.

"Okay, okay. Just hold on a sec!"

* * *

**Yes, I went with Megaman X Command Mission for X's design, but I think the design is cooler than any other basic armor we've seen him with!**

* * *

**Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15, then this becomes an actual story. AND I MEAN MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE ABOUT LIKING THE STORY AND/OR WANTING ME TO WRITE MORE! I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS! I WANT A GOOD REVIEW, DANG IT, WITH QUESTIONS AND QUERIES AND ALL THE STUFF LIKE THAT!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so with all of them being more than just one sentence or statement and actualy try to at least ask something about the story-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Those of Different Sides**

**GammaTron: Hi, everybody! I hope you all love my new picture!**

**Caboose: Hooray! It is me.**

**GT: Yep! And because of this occasion, I have decided that if I get eight reviews (eight, of course, meaning that they are well made reviews _with_ one question being the minimum about this story and there being _no suggesting other story ideas_) for this, then I'm publishing any story with a mention of Red VS Blue in it in this Story Ideas thing immediately with an extra chapter.**

**Caboose: *whispering loudly* He is doing this because he likes me the best.**

**GT: And all Flames, Flamers, and Trolls will answer directly to Sarge. Sarge?**

**Sarge: *cocks his shotgun* Simmons, get the Warthog ready! Grif, ready your body to be my meat shield!**

**Grif: *off-screen* I'll ready the Grif Shot.**

**GT: Now then, this has actually been in my noggin for quite some time now. Not involving RvB mind you since I only recently got into it as far back as around two weeks ago. But the idea was this…**

**Caboose: Are you going to make more of those kinds of stories? Because they sound complicated.**

**GT: I didn't even say it! *sighs when he notices Caboose wasn't really getting it* Of course they do, Caboose. But that's what a lot of FanFic Writers have to deal with; complex ideas that they can make work. Like the previous story on here?**

**Church: Yeah. That's really complex there. That Void Century stuff and how you're trying to make things seem equaled out in it. Plus, the fact that X follows the Three Laws, yet he isn't even programmed with them! Or that Roll doesn't even know that Dr. Light removed her own copy of the Three Laws Program!**

**GT: …Caboose, can you help Church please?**

**Caboose: Okay. *shoots Church in the back, dropping his robot body and leaving the ghost body* …Church got in the way of me helping Church.**

**Church: _Caboose!_**

**Caboose: *quickly* Tucker did it!**

**GT: Okay…While Caboose and I run away from the mad ghost, let's get this over with. Donut!**

**Donut: *walks in* You got it! Okay, everyone, here's the disclaimer! GammaTron does not own the Halo Series, Red VS Blue, or the ?-?-? Franchise. They are owned respectively by Bungie, Rooster Teeth, and ?-?-?. Speaking of ?-?-?, if anyone's seen their Nintendo 3DS lately, they'll see that they just added a ?-?-? Picture to the list of image puzzles~!**

**GT: *in the background* Oh shit! He's possessed RoboCop! Run for it, Caboose! We're not gonna win even if we have a Terminator on our side! I saw the Death Battle! I saw it! It ended badly for the robot!**

**Caboose: Oh no!**

**Church: =GET BACK HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU ASSHOLES!=**

* * *

"So…" **Michael J. Caboose** began as he looked over to the only other figure in the flying vehicle, "Are you going to **Blood Gulch**, too?"

"Hm?" jade eyes looked up from their handheld device to look over at the twenty-year-old, "Of course. It's where I was assigned to Blue Base, after all."

"Oh, that is good," Michael nodded, a smile on his young face, "I'm Michael J. Caboose. But everyone calls me by my last name."

"Really? Doesn't anyone try to call you 'Mike' or 'Mikey?'" the owner of the eyes asked, a frown on their lips.

"Yeah…No. I tried, but everyone calls me 'Caboose,'" Caboose replied, "But I don't mind. It's grown on me in recent years. But you can call me 'Caboose' too, if you want."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Michael-san," the figure nodded towards him, "Can I call you 'Mikey' for short?"

"…You'd do that?" Caboose asked.

"Of course!" the figure replied with a grin, putting their handheld away, "You seem more like a 'Mikey' to me than a 'Caboose' anyway."

"Yay! I made a new friend on my first day!" Caboose cheered, "…Wait. I forgot something." He frowned for a few minutes before looking at the other figure in the vehicle aside from their driver, "Can you help me?"

"Maybe you want to know my name?"

"Oh, yeah! That's it!" Caboose nodded, "Sorry about that. I have autism and, well…"

"Don't be worried about that. I lived in an orphanage for the first ten years of my life. The other twelve were, well, elsewhere," the figure replied as she picked up her standard-issued helmet, "And my name is **Roll**. Just 'Roll.' No last name. It's nice to meet you, Mikey-chan."

"Right!" Caboose beamed.

"Hey!" the driver called as she looked over her shoulder at them, "Better hurry up and get your stuff ready! We're landing in Blood Gulch in a few minutes."

"Arigatou!" Roll thanked before pulling his long, flowing, sun-kissed blond locks up to put her helmet on, the orange visor glowing before turning green to indicate its activation, "Ready, Mikey-chan?"

"Uh-huh!" Caboose nodded before putting his helmet on, "Hey, how did you get your visor to be green?"

"Oh, I like tweaking with programming and armors," Roll shrugged before pressing something on near her armor's neck and then speaking in a deeper, masculine voice, "And with this voice modifier, I can mess with the heads of my superiors by making them think I'm a guy first."

"Oh, that is really neat," Caboose pointed out before Roll pressed the spot once more.

"Yeah," Roll replied in her normal voice, "Plus, it's a good distraction against the enemy. Lousy Reds and their Confederate ways…"

* * *

"Lousy Blues and their Confederate ways…"

"Yeah. What gives with them?" **Dexter Grif** asked.

"No idea," the figure snorted, his ruby-red armor reflecting a bit of light from the sun, as he stood between **Richard "Dick" Simmons** and Grif.

"…Hey."

"Yeah, Rich?" the ruby figure asked.

"You ever wonder why we're here?" Simmons asked.

"It's one of life's great mysteries isn't it? Why are we here?" Grif pondered as the two slowly turned to look at him, "I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or is there really a God watching everything? You know, with a plan for us and stuff. I don't know, man, but it keeps me up at night."

"…Dude…That is _deep_," the ruby-wearing figure stated.

"…What?! I mean why are we out here, in this canyon?" Simmons demanded, "But I have to agree with **Rock**, that was deep."

"Oh. Uh… yeah."

"What was all that stuff about God?" Rock asked.

"Uh…hm? Nothing."

"You wanna talk about it?" Simmons asked.

"No," Grif replied quickly.

"You sure?" Rock asked.

"Yeah."

"Seriously though, why are we out here? As far as I can tell, it's just a box canyon in the middle of nowhere. No way in or out."

"Mm hmm," Grif and Rock nodded.

"The only reason that we set up a Red Base here, is because they have a Blue Base over there. And the only reason they have a Blue Base over there, is because we have a Red Base here."

"So basically, the only reason we both have a base is because the other made a base because they thought the other was making a base so they had to make a base to defend against that base that didn't exist but existed now and…" Rock began before crying out infrustration, "Dammit! This is worse than the time I was stuck between a rock and a hard place!"

(CUTSCENE)

_"I…uh…How did this even happen?" Rock pondered, standing between the Rock and a building called 'The Hard Place.'_

_ The Rock reeled back his fist._

_ "Not the face! Or the balls!"_

(END CUTSCENE)

"…Uh…" Grif tried to not think about what just happened, "…Yeah." He turned back to Simmons, "Anyways, that's because we're fighting each other.

"No, no. But I mean, even if we were to pull out today, and if they would come take our base, they would have two bases in the middle of a box canyon," Simmons informed, twirling a finger in the air in false glee, "Whoopdee-fucking-doo."

"What's up with that anyway? I mean, I signed on to fight some aliens. Next thing I know, Master Chief blows up the whole Covenant armada and I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere, fighting a bunch of blue guys."

"I joined to avoid going on a blind date," Rock informed, "I have zero luck at those."

(CUTSCENE)

_"I don't get it, Brian. It's past the time she set up,"_ _Rock slumped in his chair, a dog standing on his hind legs beside him._

_ "Look, just relax. She's probably just caught in traffic like we were," the dog informed._

_ It was around that time, a baby dressed as a woman entered. He looked over at where Rock was._

_ "Nnnnnno," the baby stated before walking out, not once noticed by anyone._

(END CUTSCENE)

"…The fuck?" Grif asked after a few minutes.

Nearby, two soldiers in blue were on a hidden ledge. One was kneeling down while the other was looking through the scope of a sniper rifle.

"What're they doing?" **Lavernius Tucker** asked.

**Leonard L. Church** slowly turned around to face Tucker, lowering his rifle.

"What?"

"I said, 'What are they doing now?'" Tucker asked.

"God damn, I'm getting so sick of answering that question!" Chruch snapped.

"You have the fucking rifle, I can't see shit. Don't start to bitch at me because I'm not gonna just sit up here and play with my di…"

Church held up a hand while cutting him off, "Okay, okay, look…they're just standing there and talking, okay? That's all they're doing. That's all they ever do, is just stand there and talk," his pointed at them while saying 'just stand there and talk,' "That's what they were doing last week, that's what they were doing when you asked me five minutes ago. So, five minutes from now, when you ask me, 'What are they doing?' my answer's gonna be, 'They're still just talking, and they're still just standing there!'"

Both proceeded to fall silent. Tensions had been…bad…with them since the death of their leader, Captain **Butch Flowers**. Mainly because Tucker was expecting him to order a shipment of sniper rifles, but because he died of a heart attack in his sleep, there was only just one! Slowly, they resumed their positions.

"What're they talking about?"

"…You know what?" Church looked over at Tucker, "I fucking hate you."

* * *

"Talk about a waste of resources. I mean, we should be out there finding new and intelligent forms of life to…you know, fight them."

"Yeah, no shit. That's why they should put us in charge," Simmons agreed with Grif.

"Really? You want to fight an advanced alien race that may be _worse_ than the guys Master Chief wiped out?" Rock asked.

"Ladies, front and center on the double!"

"Fuck," Grif muttered.

"Yes, sir!" Simmons declared.

"Coming, **Sarge**!" Rock called down to a pure red-armored soldier before jumping down off the side, landing before him, "What do you need?"

"Wait fer th' others, Captain Griffin," Sarge informed before, a few minutes later, Grif and Simmons were running up, "Hurry up, ladies. This ain't no ice cream social."

"Ice cream social?" Simmons repeated as he and Grif shared looks.

"An Ice Cream Social? Do _not_ remind me of that! The last time my family tried that was a disaster!" Rock groaned.

(CUTSCENE)

_"Uh…Dad?" Rock questioned a fat man in a white, button shirt, glasses, brown shoes, and green pants._

_ "Quiet, Rock," the man informed, not once looking away from the melting bowl of ice cream, "Well? What is your name?" the cherry fell off and popped, "Oh! You popped your cherry! You sick bitch! Doing that in front of my family!"_

_ A slender woman in a blue button shirt, light-brown slacks, and orange hair facepalmed, "This is why we can't have ice cream socials. He takes them so literally."_

_ "Yeah, Mom," Rock nodded with the dog, a baby in red overalls and a yellow shirt, a girl in a pink hat, shirt, and blue jeans, and a tubby blond in a hat, blue shirt, and black pants, "Yeah."_

(END CUTSCENE)

"Rock, how many times do I have to tell you to _not_ do that?" Sarge growled.

"Hey! It's not my fault!" Rock held his hands up, "They just happen!"

"Fine. Now stop the pillow talk, you three. Anyone want to guess why I gathered you here today?"

"Uh, is it because the war's over and you're sending us home?" Grif guessed.

"That's exactly it, Private. War's over. We won," Sarge replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Turns out you're the big hero and we're gonna hold a parade in your honor. I get to drive the float, and Simmons and Rock here ARE IN CHARGE OF CONFETTI!"

"I'm no stranger to sarcasm, sir."

"Goddamn it, Private! Shut your mouth or else I'll have Simmons slit your throat while you're asleep! While Rock shoves your asshole filled with explosives and then sets them all of!" Sarge declared.

"Oh I'd do it, too."

"I know you would, Simmons. Good man," Sarge nodded.

"Not me," Rock informed.

"Well, thank you, Rock," Grif nodded.

"Damn you, Rock," Sarge grumbled in annoyance, "Couple of things today, ladies. Command has seen fit to increase our ranks here at Blood Gulch Outpost Number One."

"Crap. We're getting a rookie," Grif cursed.

"Whoo! New guy!" Rock cheered.

"That's right, dead men. Our new recruit will be here within the week, but today we received the first part of our shipment from Command," Sarge informed.

Grif and Simmons exchanged looks again. Rock grinned, knowing just what was being sent since he was the guy in charge of communications. Sarge turned towards a hill behind them.

"**Lopez**, bring up the vehicle," Sarge ordered.

A large, armor-plated, jeep-like vehicle came over the rise with a soldier in bronze armor in the driver seat. Lopez stopped the vehicle before the team and Rock got a better look at it. It didn't have any doors, but it sported a powerful turret on the top that made it just a three-seater with a pair of hooks near the front.

"Shotgun!" Simmons declared.

"Shotgu-Fuck," Grif cursed.

"Shotgun's lap," Rock smirked.

"Fuck!" Simmons cursed before Rock and Grif fived each other.

"May I introduce our new, light reconnaissance vehicle," Sarge informed as Lopez began to move his hands in a flashy manner to the vehicle, "It has four inch armor plating, mag bumper suspension, a mounted machine gunner position, and total seating for three. Gentlemen, this is the **M12 LRV**!" he looked at the awed faces they all had before adding in a jovial tone, "I like to call it the **Warthog**."

"…Why Warthog, sir?" Simmons asked.

"Because M12 LRV is too hard to say in conversation, son."

"I know, but why Warthog? I mean, it doesn't really look like a pig," Grif pointed out.

"…Say that again," Sarge ordered slowly after a moment's pause.

"I think it looks more like a puma."

"What in Sam Hell is a puma?"

"Uh, you mean like the shoe company?"

"No, like a puma. It's a big cat, like a lion," Grif informed.

"You're making that up," Sarge stated.

"I'm telling you, it's a real animal!" Grif argued.

"My dad got attacked by a puma once," Rock added, "But the puma came to the hospital later, apologized, and gave him flowers _and_ paid for the medical bills!"

"Simmons, I want you to poison Grif's next meal. And put laxatives into Rock's."

"Yes, sir!"

Sarge began pointing at the front of the Warthog, "Look, see these two tow hooks? They look like tusks, and what kind of animal has tusks?"

"A walrus," Grif and Rock stated in unison.

"Didn't I just tell you to stop making up animals?!" Sarge demanded, not noticing the two Blues were spying on them still.

"What is that thing?" Tucker asked before Church lowered the rifle.

"I don't know, man. Looks like uh…looks like they've got some sorta car down there. We'd better get back to base and report it."

"A car? How come _they_ get a _car_?!" Tucker was taken back.

"What are you complaining about, man? We're about to get a tank in the very next drop with a new Lieutenant _and_ rookie," Church informed.

"You can't pick up chicks in a tank."

"Oh, you know what? You could bitch about anything couldn't you? We're going to get a tank, and you're worried about chicks. What chicks are we gonna pick up, man? And secondly, how are you gonna pick up chicks in a car that looks like that?"

Tucker sighed, "What kind of car is it?"

Church went back to looking through the scope of the sniper rifle, "I dunno, I've never seen a car like that before. It looks like a…uh…like a big cat of some kind."

"…What, like a puma?"

"Yeah, man, there you go," Church agreed.

"So unless anybody has anymore mythical creatures to suggest as a name for the new vehicle, we're going to stick with the Warthog. How about it, Grif? Rock?"

"No, sir. No more suggestions."

"But I'm serious! Dad got attacked by a puma all because of 'Who's on First?,' Sarge!" Rock argued.

"Are you sure? How 'bout Bigfoot?" Sarge ignored Rock.

"It's okay."

"Unicorn?"

"No really. Uh, I'm cool," Grif informed.

"Sasquatch?"

"Leprechaun?"

"Dammit, Simmons!" Rock groaned.

"Hey, he doesn't need any help, man," Grif agreed.

"Phoenix?" Sarge offered.

"I like that one," Rock grinned.

"Christ," Grif sighed.

"Hey Simmons, what's the name of that Mexican lizard? Eats all the goats."

"Uh, that would be the chupacabra, sir."

"Hey Grif, Rock, Chupathingy! How about that? I like it. Gotta ring to it."

"No thanks," Rock replied.

* * *

"Seems we're coming up on our drop point," Roll noted as she put her helmet back on and turned on the voice modifier, "**Ready, Mikey-kun?**"

"Ready!" Caboose saluted.

"**…Your helmet.**"

"Oh! Yeah!" Caboose blinked twice before putting his helmet on, "I'm ready now, Big Sis!"

"**Call me 'Rhodes' until I tell you otherwise. Okay?**" Roll asked.

"Okay. …Is Rhodes your first name?"

"**Last name, actually.**"

"Okay!" Caboose beamed before the landing bay doors opened while the pilot proceeded to get into something behind them.

"**Let's move on out, Mikey-kun.**"

With that, the two ran out into the light. Adjusting to it, the two began to approach a circular base that war primarily metal with blue detailing. Behind them, the pilot drove out in a large, four-tread tank with a 360 revolving turret. Looking around, Roll spotted the only two Blues there.

"**Hey!**" Roll barked, earning the attention of the two, "**Are you two the soldiers that were under my good buddy Butch Flowers?**"

"Y-Yeah. He died of a heart attack in his sleep. I-I'm Church and h-he's Tu-Tucker," Church replied, gulping nervously, _'Holy shit. This guy's intimidating.'_

"**And _where_ is his grave?**" Roll demanded.

"Right there!" Tucker replied quickly as he pointed at a pair of long sticks put into an 'X' nearby, a bed of flowers before it in a rectangle.

"**…**" Roll walked over to the 'grave' and knelt down, "**You always said you wanted to be buried underneath a bed of flowers…I'm…I'm not sure what to feel about this. Am I glad you got your wish? Should I be pissed that you didn't die in battle, but of a heart attack in your sleep? Well…Whatever I feel about this, it doesn't matter. Carry on my wayward friend. There will be peace since you are done. Lay your weary head to rest. Don't you cry no more. I'll stay with your men and protect them with my life.**"

With that, Roll got up and faced the three soldiers, the pilot having already left. Unaware to them, Rock was looking through a sniper rifle of a ridge nearby. Lowering his sniper rifle, he gulped before running back to base. At said base, Simmons and Grif were on the top once more, A soldier in red armor walking up the ramp behind them.

"Hey, that's not exactly what happened," Simmons pointed out.

"Yes, it is. You said "I'm not going to the Vegas Quadrant," and then the next thing I know you're in an escape pod headed for…" Grif began.

"Excuse me, uh, sirs."

"…Sirs?" Grif repeated before the two turned to the red soldier, "Ah crap."

"I was told to report to Blood Gulch Outpost Number One and speak to whoever's in charge," the new soldier informed.

"Sorry man, Sarge is at Command getting orders. Ain't nobody in charge today," Grif informed.

"Actually, Private, he left me in charge while he's gone," Simmons corrected.

"You are such a kiss-ass."

"Also, he told me if I had any trouble from you I should…" Simmons began before he cleared his throat and then poorly imitated Sarge, "'Git in th' Warthog, and crush yer head like a tomato-can.'"

"That's the worst impression I've ever heard," Grif deadpanned.

"Okay rookie, what's your story?" Simmons ignored Grif.

"**Private Donut** reporting for duty, sir. I'm ready to fight some aliens."

_'…Donut?'_ the duo thought with sweatdrops.

"…Couple things here, rookie. First off, Private Donut? I think somebody needs a new nickname. Secondly, what's with the armor color?" Grif demanded.

"This _is_ the standard issue red," Donut replied.

"Yeah, I know. Listen. Only two kinds of people wear standard issue armor: officers and recruits. And since you're not threatening to gut me like a fish, you're probably not an officer."

"Well, he's wearing red armor," Donut informed as he pointed at Simmons.

"No, my armor is _maroon_. Your armor is _red_," Simmons corrected.

"Well, how do I get a different color armor?" Donut asked.

"Guys! Guys! Alert! Warning! H is for Hurry, E is for Emergency, L is for Love, and P is for Please!" Rock's screamed echoed as he ran towards them.

"I bet the Blues don't have to put up with this kind of crap," Grif muttered.

* * *

"So I say to the guy, 'how're you gonna get the tank down to the planet?' And he goes, 'I'll just put it on the ship,' and I go, 'if you've got a ship that can carry a tank, why not just put guns on the ship and use it instead?'" Caboose explained to Tucker and Church.

"Hey, kid."

"Yeah?" Caboose looked over at Tucker.

"You're ruining the moment. Shut up."

"Oh. Okay. You got it man!" Caboose replied.

"**Private Tucker!**" Tucker yelped as he turned to look at the glaring Lieutenant that had just arrived to base, "**Did I just hear you bad-mouth a fellow cadet?**"

"U-Uh…" Tucker gulped.

"You know what? I could blow up the whole god damn world with this thing," Church informed.

"**You want us to get into deep shit with the higher ups _and_ the locals?**" Roll demanded, "**That's it! Both of you, drop and give me fifty!**"

"…What?" both asked.

"**I SAID DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY!**"

Both screamed before they began to do the push-ups. Roll nodded at the sight of the two more-knowledgeable members as she began to pace before them.

"**Understand this; we are not here to be idiots! We are here to protect what's ours from the Reds!**" Roll informed, "**Now, Private Caboose has a point. Why don't we just attach weaponry to our carrier vessels? Mainly, it is because we don't have the budget for it. Furthermore, the vessels are too large to properly use in military comabat. Now then, how long were you two under the command of Sargent Flowers?**"

"Two hours," Church replied between grunts.

"**…Two hours? Are you telling me he died just two hours after landing here?!**"

"N-No!" Tucker replied, "We were here for a week before he had the heart attack."

"**Very well. That's enough for now. You can finish the fifteen you have later, Cobalt, and the twenty-seven you have, Aquamarine.**"

"Okay, Private Donut, here's the deal," Simmons informed.

"I just refuse to call him Private Donut!" Grif informed as Rock was snickering a storm beside him.

"After what Rock has just informed Grif and I, we've got a very important mission for you. You think you can handle it?" Simmons asked.

"Absolutely!" Donut saluted.

"We need you to go to the store, and get two quarts of elbow grease."

"Yeah and uh, pick up some headlight fluid for the Puma too," Grif added.

"The what?"

"He means the Warthog."

"The truck down there with the turret," Rock added, pointing at the Warthog, "Guy who's working on it is Lopez. He doesn't talk, so don't both trying to chat with him."

"You do know where the store is, right, rookie?" Grif asked.

"What? Yeah, yeah, of course I do. Sure, no problem," Donut replied.

"Well, get going then," Simmons ordered before Donut ran off.

"Other way," Grif pointed out, making Donut skid to a halt and run the other way.

"I knew that. Just got turned around that's all."

"…How long do you think until he figures out there's no store?" Simmons asked once Donut left.

"I say…at least a week," Grif replied.

"I'll go with he mistakes Blue Base for a store," Rock informed.

"So what did you say they had again?" Grif asked.

Rock sighed, "They got a tank and two new soldiers. One of them seems to be a Sargent like Sarge is."

Nearby, Donut stopped and looked back at Red Base, "Elbow grease…How stupid do they think I am?" he proceeded to run off, "Once I get back to base with that headlight fluid, I'm gonna talk to the Sergeant."

* * *

"You know what? Forget what I said before. We can definitely pick up chicks in this thing. Probably two or three chicks a piece," Tucker noted as he and Church looked up at the tank with Roll and Caboose.

"Oh man, listen to you. What're you gonna do with two chicks?" Church asked.

"Church, women are like Voltron: The more you can hook up, the better it gets," Tucker grinned under his helmet until Roll's fist slammed onto the top of his helmet.

"**Soldier, let me give you a piece of advice; _don't_ consider women like that. You'll get killed or sent to the ER for that talk around them,**" Roll informed, _'But go on and keep talking. That way, I can justify my reasons for shooting your head off.'_

* * *

"You think that we were too mean to the kid?" Simmons asked.

"Nah, he'll just wander around on the cliffs for a few hours. What's the worst that could happen?" Grif asked.

"A week's chores on him mistaking Blue Base for a store and ending up with the flag," Rock betted.

"…Deal," Grif replied, shaking Rock's hand.

* * *

"Finally, there it is," Donut sighed in relief before he ran down to the Blue Base, "…Oh sweet! They sell tanks!"

* * *

"Yeah I'll let you in on a little secret, I've uh... I've actually got a girl back home," Church informed.

"Oh yeah? Girlfriend or wife?" Tucker asked.

"No, man, she's just my girlfriend, ya know? We were gonna get married, but I got shipped out... ah, you know how it works," Church noted.

"Oh," Tucker frowned under his helmet.

"**When you get back, will you marry her?**" Roll asked.

"I'm not gonna get married," Caboose informed, "My dad always said, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?'"

"**…Remind me to never meet your father. Or else, I'll rip his nuts off and shove them up his ass,**" Roll ordered Caboose.

"Oh, he's dead," Caboose replied.

"**…And now I feel like a dick for that,**" Roll facepalmed.

"Hey, rookie…did you just call my girlfriend a _cow_?" Church asked once he processed what Caboose just said.

"No, I think he called her a _slut_!"

"He did it," Caboose pointed at Tucker.

"**That's Tucker, Mikey-kun,**" Roll sighed, having figured their names outs already.

"Tucker did it."

"I'll tell you what, noob, I could sit out here and listen to you insult my girlfriend all day long, but as it turns out, I got a lot more important job for you to do," Church informed.

"**What?**"

"Great."

"See, we've got this General…"

"Right, the General guy."

"…who likes to come by and make random inspections of bases. So what I'm gonna have you do, is I'm gonna have you go in the base, and stand right next to the flag at attention, just in case he decides to come by."

"**What General? I haven't been informed of this,**" Roll informed.

"Oh, it's really new," Church informed.

"When is he coming by?" Caboose asked.

"We never know. Could be today, could be a week from now," Tucker replied.

"You want me to stand at attention for a week?"

"You know, you don't sound very grateful. This is the most important job at the whole base. You're gonna be right there with the flag," Church informed.

"What's so important about the flag?"

"Oh, come on, don't they teach you guys anything in training?" Church asked in disbelief.

"They didn't tell us anything about a flag. Why is it so important?" Caboose asked.

"**Yes. Enlighten us, Private Church**," Roll agreed.

"Because it's the flag, man, you know, it's the f... it's the flag, it's…" Church looked over at Tucker, "Tucker, you tell them why the flag is so important."

"Well... it's... it's complicated. Uh... It's blue, we're blue."

Roll clapped slowly, almost mockingly, "**Wow. Nice explanation.**"

"Shut up, bastard," Tucker muttered.

"It's just important, okay? Trust us and trust in Sargent Flowers since he told us the flag was important," Church informed before Roll could do anything, "So when the General comes by, the first thing he's gonna want to do is inspect the flag."

"Right," Tucker nodded.

"So just go in there, you know, far away from us, and wait for him."

"…" Caboose looked at Roll.

"**Go on, Mikey-kun. I'm sure you'll do good with this first job. Then, when it's night, _Tucker_ will be the one who guards it during the night shift,**" Roll informed.

"Heh. Yeah!" Tucker agreed before realizing something, "Wait, what?"

"Uh, how will I know when I see him?" Caboose asked.

"There's only four of us out here, rookie. He's gonna be the guy that doesn't look like one of us," Tucker replied.

Roll sighed, "**Caboose, most likely, the General will be in armor like we have, but different as well. I wish you luck.**"

"Now get in there, and don't come out!" Church added before he turned to Tucker, "Man, that guy is dumber than you are."

"You mean he's dumber than you are."

"Wow, Tucker, that was a great come-back."

"**Well, excuse my little brother for his autism,**" both men flinched as Roll stood over them, "**Now listen up. I'm going to scout out Red Base. Contact me immediately if anything happens here that doesn't involve you two bitching about everything! I'll also make this interesting; if you treat Private Michael J. Caboose good for the rest of the day, I will ask Blue Command to deliver some special shipments of rifles and machine guns.**"

"Oh sweet!" Tucker cheered as Caboose poked his head out of the entrance.

"Uh, Mr. Church? Sir?" Caboose called out.

"Oh my god, WHAT!?" Church demanded before saying to Tucker, "Tucker, I swear, I'm gonna kill him!"

"Sorry about calling your girl a slut…"

"**Uh-oh,**" Roll noted as she saw Church's helmet turn red with steam coming out of it.

"ROOKIE! SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP, YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY, GET IN THERE!" Church roared out as he fired his sniper rifle at him a few times, each one missing, "FUCK!"

"Uh-huh huh huh huh!"

Church turned around to face Tucker's back, "Tucker, are you laughing at me?"

Roll sighed before walking off, "**Remember; Take care of my little brother or else, you two!**"

"Yes, sir!" Church groaned, unaware of Donut walking up behind the two.

"We're not really doing that, are we?" Tucker asked.

"We don't have a choice if Caboose really is the Sargent's little brother," Church replied, "Shit."

"Excuse me, sir, can I ask you a question?"

"Dear God in Heaven, rookie, if I turn around, and you are not inside, I…I can't be held responsible for what I'm gonna do to you!" Church informed, not once looking back.

"What did I do?"

"One…"

"Aw, gimme a break."

"TWO!"

"Fine!" Donut yelped before he ran into the base and walked up to Caboose.

"Wow, you got here fast!"

"Why is everyone so freakin' rude in this canyon?"

"I'm not, sir, nor is my Big Sister who leads this team. What can I do for you?" Caboose offered.

"Finally, someone with a little respect around here."

"Yes, sir! I assume you're here because of this…" Caboose motioned to the flag.

"Wait, is this all you have?"

"Uh, yes, sir. That's it!" Caboose replied.

"Aw man, this figures. Shit…" Donut muttered before asking, "What about elbow grease?"

"Uhmm…"

"Headlight fluid?"

"No. All we have is this flag. Sorry, sir."

"Well, I can't go back empty handed. I guess I'll take that."

"Sure, that makes sense. I guess," Caboose shrugged as he took the flag out of its holder and handed the pole to Donut.

"Man, they're gonna give me so much shit for coming back with just this stupid flag," Donut complained to himself as he ran out of the base with the flag.

* * *

"Well, enough gabbing out of us, let's take this bad boy out for a spin," Church beamed at the tank before turning his head to Tucker, "Go ahead and hop in, Tucker."

"Me? I can't drive that thing."

"You're telling me you're not Armor Certified?"

"I ca-I don't even know how to use the fucking sniper rifle. Don't _you_ know how to drive that?"

"No! …Holy Crap! Who is running this army!?" Church screamed out before contacting Roll, "Sargent to Private Church. Come in, Sargent!"

=**Your CO here, what do you need?**=

"Do you know how to drive a tank?"

=**Of course I do! Can't you?**=

"Negative," Church replied as Caboose walked out of the base.

"Hey! Just wanted to let you know the General stopped by and picked up the flag!" Caboose called.

"Yeah! Okay! Whatever, moron!"

=**Hey! Are you bad-mouthing Mikey-kun?**=

"Uh…Um…No?" Church gulped before what Caboose said caught up to him, "…Wait a second…What did Caboose just say?"

* * *

"Let me get this straight…You gave this guy our flag?" Church demanded as they stood on the top of Blue Base.

"Is that bad?" Caboose asked innocently.

"**You _did_ say that it wouldn't be one of us that was the 'General.'**"

"Bad? Oh no, that's not bad. Next time he comes over, why don't you just help him blow up the whole goddamn base?" Church snapped at Caboose.

"There, there he is," Tucker pointed before Church looked through his sniper rifle.

"Where?" Church asked before settling his sights on Donut, "Oh, yeah, oh, I got him. He's sneaking around back behind the cliffs."

"He must be one smart son of a bitch," Tucker noted.

"**Perhaps.**"

"Oh, man, I am so freakin' lost," Donut groaned as he looked around, "Where the hell is the base?"

"Oh, shit... Hey Tucker, look at his armor. It's red."

"Oh man, that means it's their Sergeant."

"**Or it could be a new cadet,**" Roll added, "**Never assume it's their leader just because they wear the same color, soldiers.**"

"Well, that makes sense. At least now we know how he got by our defenses," Church noted, "If he's the Sargent of Red Team, then that's how. If he's just a rookie, he must have just gotten lucky."

"Uh, you know…he came in the back door where you guys were standing," Caboose pointed out.

"**…He did?**"

"Uh-huh."

"**…I'll take the blame, then.**"

"Yeah, okay, well let's take him out then," Tucker urged.

"Roger that," Church confirmed as he looked through the rifle once more, "Okay, say goodnight, Sarge."

Church pulled the trigger four times. Four bullets raced out of the barrel and raced across the sky, all towards Donut. Yet, instead of hitting him, his of the shots missed. Donut quickly crouched down to try to avoid being hit.

"Son of a bitch!" Donut cursed.

Back at Blue Base, Roll and Tucker slowly turned their heads to look at Church. Church slowly returned the looks.

"…What?" Church asked.

"You're _really_ not very good with that thing, are you?" Tucker asked.

"**…Church, you are getting emergency lessons on Sniper Rifles later,**" Roll stated.

"Yes, sir…" Church grumbled.

"Hey! It's me! Don't shoot! I'm the guy that bought the flag, remember!?" Donut shouted to them, waving the flag.

"Oh great, now he's taunting us. That's just embarrassing," Tucker facepalmed.

"**Looks more like he doesn't want to get shot to me,**" Roll chuckled (the voice modifier changed her giggles to chuckles for some reason).

"Alright, that's it, I've had it," Church growled before turning to Caboose, "Rookie, you stay here. Me and Tucker, we'll head through the teleporter, we'll cut him off at the pass."

"Right!" Caboose nodded.

"**Good plan so far,**" Roll nodded, "**Seems you've had practice since Flowers passed away.**"

"I have," Church nodded before facing Tucker, "Tucker, you ready? Let's go."

"There is no way I'm going through that thing."

"**Why not?**" Roll asked, "**You tested it, correct?**"

"We threw rocks through it," Church replied, "They came out the other side."

"Yeah, but they were all hot and covered with black stuff," Tucker replied.

"**Soot.**"

"Oh, so I guess that's what this is all about then. You're afraid of a little black stuff," Church pointed out.

"Yes. I am. I am afraid of black stuff."

"…Tucker, I almost hate to do this to you," Church informed before raising his gun at Tucker.

"You wouldn't…" Tucker squeaked.

"You know, I look at it this way: Either A, we go through there and get the flag back, or B, we stay here and I get to kill you. Either way, I win."

Roll slapped the back of his head, "**Don't threaten your fellow soldiers, Church!**" she faced Tucker, "**Tucker, those were just rocks. They're not people. That soot? It's a side-effect of the teleporter that hasn't been corrected yet, but you won't be hurt.**"

"Okay…But I'm still scared."

"Duly noted. Now get in there," Church ordered.

"Crap…" Tucker muttered before facing the teleporter, "Alright. One, two…"

Tucker proceeded to run through the green 'doorway.' The trio looked at where the exit was…and waited…and waited…and you get the point.

"...Huh, he didn't come out the other side..." Caboose noted.

"**Oh boy. This isn't good.**"

"Yeeaahhh, I've uh- I've decided I'm not gonna use the teleporter," Church informed before running off the back and chased Donut.

"…Can you turn it off now?" Caboose asked once Church was far enough away.

"Yes. But I'm turning it back on when we get closer to them if they need assistance," Roll replied.

* * *

"I still have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't hear any shots," Simmons informed.

"I'm telling you, it was four shots. Like bam, bam, bam," Grif replied.

"Wait a second, that's only three bams," Rock counted.

"Bam," Grif added the last one before seeing Church through a sniper rifle, "Wait a second, we've got a Blue guy on the move out there."

"Is it that new Sargent they have?" Rock asked, having seen similarities between Sarge's armor and the armor one of the new men had.

"No. It's that guy with lousy aim," Grif replied.

"Where's he headed?" Simmons asked as Grif looked to the left of Church.

"Oh crap. It... It's Donut. And he's got something…" Grif replied as he zoomed in, "It looks like…" Grif froze for a few seconds as he saw that it was the Blue's flag, "…Rock…Simmons, get the Warthog."

"Heh, you mean the Puma?" Simmons joked.

"Yeah, keep making jokes. That'll win the war," Grif rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Freeze!" Church ordered as he cut Donut off.

"Hey, why the hell are you shooting at me?! You coulda hit me, dick!" Donut complained.

"Can it," Church ordered as he pressed the barrel of his sniper to Donut's chest area, "Don't try to play stupid with me, Sarge. I know who ya are. We've been spying on you for three weeks now."

"I just got here two hours ago. And I'm not a Sergeant, I'm a Private," Donut whimpered.

"…Wait a minute, you're not the Sergeant!" Church exclaimed as he lowered his rifle.

"Yeah, that's what I just said."

"Well then how the hell did you manage to steal our flag?" Church raised a brow.

"Steal? I have no idea what the hell you're talking about!" Donut argued before Tucker came out of the teleporter between them, his armor covered in soot.

"…Three!"

"JESUS!" Church screamed as he and Donut jumped back in fright and startlement.

"HOLY SHIT! Who is this guy?" Donut demanded.

Church looked the gut over before realizing who it was, "What in the hell!? Tucker? Is that you?"

"How did you get up here ahead of me?"

"And what's with that black shit on your armor?" Donut asked.

"Hey!" Tucker turned and aimed his assault rifle at Donut, "Freeze, Sarge!"

"Would you stop calling me a Sergeant? I'm still just a Private," Donut groaned.

"…The Sarge is still a Private?" Tucker asked as he slowly lowered his weapon before gasping, "Oh. My. God. The teleporter sent me back in time."

_'Really?!'_ Church thought with a facepalm.

* * *

"Sorry Lopez, we need the jeep," Grif informed as they got into the Warthog.

"Shotgun!" Rock declared as he got into shotgun before the others could stop him, whipping out a shotgun painted blue at the barrel of it.

"I'll take gunner," Simmons responded as he got into the back, "Let's roll."

"Right!" Rock nodded as Grif turned it on…before Tejano music began to blare out of the radio.

"How do you turn off the fucking radio in this car?" Grif demanded.

"What? It's Tejano! _Polkas y Huapangos_ by _Jaime y Los Chamacos_ to be precise. I love this music!" Rock argued, "I asked Lopez to install this every time the Warthog turns on."

"Why?!"

"Because it's a good surprise attack. They'll all be like 'is that music?' as we get closer. And then…BLAMMO!" Rock slammed his fist into his palm, startling the two he was riding with, "We win with a sneak attack!"

"Don't worry Lopez, I'll bring her back in one piece," Simmons assured as they drove off.

"And if not, blame Simmons!" Rock waved.

"…" Lopez just watched them go.

* * *

"Look, I know you don't know me, but you have to believe what I'm about to tell you," Tucker began to inform Church, "Some time in your future I get stationed here in Blood Gulch, and we meet. And this guy here, he gets promoted to Sergeant of the Red Army, and we spy on them. And they get this new jeep, and I'm all like, 'There is no way you can pick up chicks in a tank!'"

"Tucker? What the _fuck_ are you babbling about?" Church demanded calmly, slowly losing his temper with his teammate.

"I know all this sounds crazy, but he…" Tucker points at Donut, "…eventually becomes a Sergeant, and then one day we get a tank, and he comes and steals our flag while we're distracted."

"Is this guy a retard?" Donut pondered to Church.

"Red? Shut up. Tucker? Listen to me. Ya haven't gone back in time, okay? This _is_ the guy who stole the flag, he's just not the Sergeant," Church informed as Tejano music began to play louder as the seconds passed, "Turns out he's just some dumb rookie who happens to have the same color armor as him. He got in somehow, just…for God's sake! WHAT IS THAT MUSIC!?"

=**Bogies inbound!**= Roll shouted over the radio in Church and Tucker's helmets just before the Warthog shot over the hill behind them.

"Woohoo!" Grif whooped.

"Holy shit!" Tucker yelped as the three barely ducked in time.

"Son of a bitch! Run! Jesus! Run!" Church shouted as the two quickly ran off.

"The jeep followed me back in time!" Tucker screamed.

=**For the love of Kami-sama, Tucker, you aren't in the past!**= Roll, having heard everything, snapped =**You are in the present, not the past! Get your head in the game, boy!**=

Grif hopped out of the Warthog as Simmons yelled and fired at Church and Tucker as they ran away. Tucker gave a girlish scream as he jumped out of the way of a few shots that nearly hit him.

"Ow! Git! Ow! Git! Ow, ow!" Church yelped.

"That's right! That's right, I got your ass! Get off your ass and run, you cock bites! Right now! Yeah, not so pretty when you gotta run are you! Yeah, that's right! Stay there! You know where your flag is?" Simmon demanded as Roll looked through her personal sniper rifle at them, "We're gonna get you! Come on! Don't be a wimp! Come on, Blue! Come on, get out there! I've got a whole barrel of love to shoot you with! Come on! Get out now! Yeah, come on out! I know you like this! Come out where I can get you! Come on! Don't be a wimp! Come on, Blue! Be tough, get out there!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Grif demanded.

"You know what? I honestly have no idea what's going on. I think everyone in this canyon is absolutely insane," Donut replied.

"How did you get the flag?" Grif asked.

"I don't know, I just asked for it."

Simmons stopped shooting for a few seconds at that while Grif asked, "Wait, that worked?"

"I guess," Donut shrugged, "Is it not supposed to?"

"I don't know, we…never even thought to try that. Just take the flag to the base, we'll explain there," Rock ordered as Simmons resumed firing.

"Not until someone tells me what the fuck is go-" Donut began as Rock began to load up his shotgun.

"There's no time to explain, rookie! Just take the flag, and go to base! I'll explain everything there," Grif interrupted as he pointed at Red Base's direction.

"Fine!" Donut started running through the Gulch before Rock stopped him and turned him around.

"Wrong base, but good effort," Rock informed.

"Uh, I know. I just got turned around, that's all," Donut replied as he ran off to the Red Base.

"What a dumbass," Grif snorted.

"Oh man, that's not good," Caboose noted.

"Yeah," Roll nodded, having turned off her radio from Tucker and Church to talk normally, "Want to see?"

"Yeah," Caboose nodded.

"Here," Roll handed him her sniper rifle and he looked through it.

"Oh my god, that jeep has a really big gun," Caboose whimpered before he handed the weapon back to its owner and began to start looking back and forth between the fight and the tank, "Stay here... Tank... Stay here... Tank…"

"…Ah, screw it," Roll snorted before dragging Caboose off, "Come on. We've got a pair of Blue Men to save."

* * *

"Yeah, get going! Take that! I know you like that there! Come out! Come here! Poke your head up! Come on, Blue! Get your head out there!"

"Someone seems a little _too_ trigger happy," Rock sweatdropped.

"Big time," Grif agreed.

"Well, we'll just wait here. That thing's gotta run outta bullets some time," Church noted, he and Tucker hiding behind a large rock.

* * *

"My god, doesn't that thing ever run out of bullets?" Church groaned a little bit later.

"You know, in hindsight, we should have brought the tank," Tucker noted.

"Hey, Tucker, what good is a tank gonna do us if nobody here knows how to drive it?" Church demanded.

"Yeah, I can see how hiding behind a rock is a much better strategy," Tucker agreed after a few seconds of thinking.

"Well, yeah, but... oh man, I guess I gotta give that one to ya," Church nodded.

* * *

"Ugh. They just had to bring it here on only enough energy to let it drop off," Roll muttered as Caboose got into the cockpit, "Okay! She's all charged up!"

_Hello, and thank you for activating the M808V Main Battle Tank. You may call me **Sheila**=_

"Hello. Sheila. Big tank lady," Caboose greeted shyly.

_ =Would you like me to run the tutorial program?=_

"Oh, that'd be very nice. Thank you," Caboose replied with a nod.

"Delay that order, Sheila," Roll ordered, "Override code: Sigma-Six-Nine-Delta."

=_Acknowledged. What do you need to know?_=

"Before we engaged the tutorial program, is your Friendly Fire protocol active?"

=_It is not_=

"Activate it."

=_Acknowledged. Friendly Fire Protocol activated. Friendly forces may now be avoided by Auto-Lock_=

"Good. Sheila, please activate the Tutorial Program for Mikey-kun, okay?"

=_Tutorial program activated. This program is intended to instruct non-certified personnel in the use of this Scorpion class tank. Let's begin with some driving_=

"Okay," Caboose nodded.

"Careful, Mikey-kun, she has six pedals," Roll advised.

* * *

"Simmons. SIMMONS!" Grif shouted, earning Simmons's attention and had him stop firing, "Man, that thing is loud."

"You're telling me," Rock agreed, the Reds unaware of Sheila driving by behind them, Roll sitting beside Caboose on top of the tank, "That's louder than the time my family had that stubborn mule at h…"

"WHAT?" Simmons interrupted with a loud shout.

Grif sighed before writing down a sign for Simmons that read, 'Come on, let's sneak around the back of the rock and get 'em out.'

"OKAY."

"Keep it down! Jesus. Let's go, before they figure out what's going on," Rock shouted.

* * *

"…How did you do _this_?" Roll raised a brow in surprise, witnessing Sheila trying to get off a tall rock.

=_Now that you've mastered driving the M808V, let's move on to some of the safety features_=

"No, no, wait, go back! Why are there six pedals if there are only four directions?" Caboose whined.

"Told you," Roll rolled her eyes.

* * *

Church slowly began peeking out from the side of the rock. Tucker was still standing behind it.

"Psst, hey, they stopped firing," Church whispered.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Umm…I don't know," Church whispered, sweatdropping, as Grif, Simmons, and Rock were on a cliff nearby.

"Aw, crap, I don't think we're gonna be able to get around this way," Grif noted.

"Tell me again, uh, why did we get out of the jeep?" Simmons asked, unaware of Sheila rolling up right behind them.

"Well, I guess it was this or sit there and watch you shoot rocks all day long," Rock noted.

"Well, at least that was fun," Simmons admitted.

"**Ahem.**"

Rock turned to see them, "Hey." He turned back, "Yeah. I have to admit that you seemed happier than normal and…" he turned to the tank, "Whhhhhaaaaaaaaat?"

"Holy CRAP!" Grif yelped, "What in God's name is that thing?"

* * *

"Tucker, don't be stupid. They're just trying to draw us out," Church advised as Tucker had changed places with him in spying.

"No they're not, look - they left the jeep. They're gone," Tucker assured as Church began to peek as well.

"Well, I don't know about this. It seems pretty fishy, but…" Church trailed off as he thought of the pros and cons of what he was about to do, "…alright screw it, let's go get it."

* * *

"Dudes, hold still. I don't think it sees us," Grif whispered.

"**If Sheila can't, I can,**" Roll informed.

"Who are you?" Simmons asked.

"**Sargent Rhodes, new leader of the Blue Army. The one driving our tank, Sheila, is named Michael J. Caboose,**" Roll informed.

"Hello~!" Caboose greeted.

A tone went off in Sheila, indicating target lock. Sheila's turret pointed at Grif, then it turned to Simmons.

"Why is it just sitting there?" Rock asked.

"Just trying to mess with our heads. Let's get back to the Warthog," Grif informed.

"**Sheila, target that vehicle,**" Roll whispered.

=_This tank is equipped with an auto-fire sequence that can be activated by pressing the auto-fire button_=

"Auto-fire, auto-fire, here, here! No, wait... okay, that's more a switch than a button…" Caboose muttered to himself as he began to search for it.

=_This will end the tutorial, and should only be activated if proper safety procedures-_=

"Okay, you ready? Let's do this on three. One…" Simmons began to count.

"Wait. On three? Or three and then go?" Grif interrupted.

"On three. It's always faster to go on three," Rock informed, "We always go on 'three.'"

"Okay, okay. On three," Grif nodded.

"Here!" Caboose beamed as he pushed the button.

=_Tutorial deactivated. Auto-fire sequence activated_=

"Ready?" Simmons asked.

"Ready here," Rock nodded, neither aware of Grif slowly moving towards the Warthog.

=_Acquiring target_=

"I'm going for the jeep. Cover me," Church ordered before he jumped over the rock and began to slowly approach the Warthog.

"One…" Simmons began.

=_Target acquired_=

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit…" Grif panted in his run.

"Two…" Rock added.

=_Target locked_=

"Three!" both shouted as they turned around and saw Grif running away.

"Oh, you back-stabbing cock bite!" Simmons cursed.

"Bastard!" Rock snapped.

"**FIRE!**" Roll commanded.

=_Firing main cannon_=

With that, Sheila open fired. Rock tackled Simmons down just as Sheila began to fire. The explosion sailed through the air and collided with the Warthog, making it go up a small explosion.

"Son of a bitch!" Simmons cursed.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Grif screamed in fear, his orange armor growing darker near the crotch area.

"Son of a bitch!" Church yelped as he ducked back behind the rocks.

=_Firing main cannon_=

"Shit!" Simmons yelped as he and Rock barely rolled out of the way of another firing.

"Run away!" Rock shouted as he and Simmons dashed off after Grif.

=_Firing main cannon_=

"Dammit!" Grif screamed as the shot blew up near them.

=_Firing main cannon_=

"**Whoo! Go, Sheila!**"

"Hey dude, the jeep blew up," Tucker informed as Church made it back up to the rock they had hid behind.

"No kidding. Thanks for the update, Tucker," Church growled at him while Grif, Simmons, and Rock ran behind a sturdy rock.

=_Firing main cannon_=

"Hey, I have a _great_ idea. Let's get out of the jeep and sneak around the back of the rock," Simmons mocked Grif.

=_Firing main cannon_=

"Great plan, you idiot!" Simmons snorted.

=_All targets eliminated. Acquiring new target_=

"**I think they're still behind the rock, Sheila-chan,**" Roll noted.

"Hey, Tucker, look at this, man - it's the rookie and Sargent!" Church beamed, "And they brought tank out to scare off the Reds…with the _rookie_ driving it!"

"What? No way!" Tucker snorted as Church got up.

"Hey, rookie! Good job, man! Why didn't you tell us you knew how to drive the tank?" Church asked.

"**He just learned it!**" Roll replied, "**It came with a tutorial program!**"

"…It did?" Church asked as he and Tucker slid down the slope to regroup, giving Grif, Rock, and Simmons the perfect opportunity to flee.

* * *

"What happened?" Donut asked, still holding the flag, as the trio came running up the ramp.

"Big... Tank... Shooting... Whooooh!" Grif panted.

"Damn, man, we only ran like three hundred feet. You are really out of shape," Simmons noted.

"Fuck... You..."

"Where's your car?" Donut asked.

"General Patton here had a great strategy to leave it behind," Simmons replied.

"Hey, it would have worked if that tank hadn't shown up."

"You lost the jeep? Oh man, Lopez is gonna be pissed," Donut noted, "Where is it?"

The Warthog suddenly flipped up on the base from below by an explosion, landing between Donut and the other three. They slowly looked at it before turning outwards to where Sheila and the Blue Team were.

"What the hell…!?" Grif yelped before seeing Sheila firing once more, "SON OF A BITCH!"

"Oh crap!" Donut screamed as they ran behind the Warthog, "What the hell is that thing?"

"That's the tank!" Grif replied.

"Hey uh, Grif, uh, you wanna hold the flag for a little bit?" Donut offered before Sheila fired another round.

"No, keep that away from me!" Grif snapped.

"Why do you keep firing at the jeep?" Church asked.

"Because it's locked on!" Caboose replied.

=_Target locked_=

"Well, unlock it," Tucker ordered.

"**Sheila, cease fire,**" Roll ordered, making Sheila stop, "**Attention, Red Team! Return our flag and we will leave. If you do not, we will destroy your base, steal your flag, and crush you all under Sheila's treads! _And _take our flag back!**"

"Wow. That guy's more determined than a warthog being called just a pig," Rock compared.

(CUTSCENE)

_"Honey, I'm home!" a hyena called as he entered his house and began to take care of his tie, hat, and jacket, "Oh, you would not believe the work today. We were chasing and chasing and then we finally got breakfast and then we chased and chased and got lunch and now I'm home an…"_

_ He stopped in his tracks and gasped. His wife was on the counter, a knife in her back, stuffed to the point of bursting with stuffing, and an apple in her mouth. Written messily on her was 'They call me _Mister_ Pig!' Running to an open window, he saw a warthog running off._

_ "You bastard!" the hyena shouted, shaking a fist at the warthog…until a pack of hyenas tackled the warthog over and ate him._

(END CUTSCENE)

"…That was a bit…morbid," Grif admitted.

"The fuck was that?!" Tucker shouted.

"Sorry! He does that a lot!" Simmons apologized.

"What? If you were born in Rhode Island, you'd also have that cool trick!" Rock argued.

"**Return the flag!**"

"Nevah!" Rock declared, standing up and pointing at the sky while looking at them.

"**Sheila, resume firing!**"

=_Target locked_=

"Oh shit! It's an Australian Tank!" Rock screamed as he ducked the shot…only for the shot to spin around and boomerang into the Warthog, "You see?! It shoots bombs like boomerangs!"

"I hate to be the one to point this out guys, but I think we're screwed," Donut noted.

"Yeah. I have to agree with the rookie on this one," Simmons nodded.

"Sarge, come in! Sarge, please come in!" Rock cried on the radio.

=Blood Gulch Outpost Number One. Come in, Blood Gulch Outpost, come in. Do you read me? This is Sergeant-=

"Oh my god, Sarge, is that you?" Grif asked, connecting to the feed.

=Roger that, Private. I am currently in-bound to your position from Command=

"Sir, this is Simmons."

=Hello, Simmons. I hope everything's gone alright while I've been gone=

"Help us, please!" Rock begged on the line, "They've got a tank from Australia on their side!"

=What?=

"Actually, sir, things are kind of hectic right now. The new rookie arrived, and somehow he managed to…" Grif winced as Sheila fired another shot, "…infiltrate the Blue Base, and now we have their flag, the Warthog is damaged, one of their…" another shot went off, "…guys is demanding we surrender, and there's this huge fucking tank…"

"From Australia!"

"…about to destroy our base."

=…=

"…"

=…Am Ah talkin' to th' right base?"

"Sarge," Grif informed calmly as Sheila fired another round, "WE. ARE GOING. TO DIE HERE!"

"Do you want a turn?" Caboose offered Church.

"You bet!" Church replied as the two traded places.

=_Driver canopy locked_=

=Well then hold tight, boys. I think I gotta solution to your little "tank" problem= Sarge chuckled on the line to the Reds.

"Oh yeah! We've almost got them!" Tucker whooped before noticing the sky growing darker, "Huh?"

Roll looked up, "**Uh oh.**"

A large aircraft vessel began to fly over Red Base. Tucker, Roll, and Caboose all gulped.

"H-Hey, Church?" Tucker started backing up, "Y-you might wanna get out of the tank. Like _right now_."

"I can't figure out how to get this thing open!" Church started to freak.

=_Night vision engaged_=

"**Church****, get out now!**" Roll shouted as shells began to land progressively nearer to the tank, each impact exploding.

"I can't get out!" Church freaked, "Sargent, get out of here!"

"**Not without one of my men!**" Roll argued as she tried to pry the canopy off.

"…I'm sorry," Church apologized before he managed to get control of Sheila's cannon and used it to strike Roll away from Sheila.

"Church!" Tucker screamed.

"Good-bye," Church accepted his fate.

At that point, the shells slammed down upon Sheila. The series of explosions that followed began to send her tumbling away from Red Base. One of the explosions broke open the canopy only for Church to be hit with a shell. Tucker and Caboose ran away, Caboose easily carrying the Sargent of Blue Team.

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**" Roll cried out.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! Running, running, running!" Caboose freaked before they got to a safe distance away, "Man, that was close."

"Look at your tank though. A…And Church, too," Tucker pointed out.

Roll didn't want to look. She hated this part, no matter how many times she saw it. Sheila's body seemed to still be intact, but her treads and cannon were blown off. Church's body was in one piece, but the armor was mostly melted, fused to the body.

=_I'm scared, Dave. Will I dream? Daisy…_= Sheila began to sing as her voice became distorted and elongated_ =Daisy..._=

"Sheeeeiilaaaaa! Noooooo!" Caboose cried out.

"What? No! Sheila! Sheila!" Tucker cried out before realizing something, "W-Wait… Who's Sheila?"

"Sheila's the lady in the tank. She was my friend…" Caboose sniffled.

"Oh, dude!" Tucker gasped, "I knew you could pick up chicks in a tank!"

Roll slammed a fist into Tucker's face, making him spin three times before collapsing onto his back, knocked out. She looked back at the gruesome sight to see one of the Red soldiers walking over to it…carrying a medical kit?

"Rock! What are you doing, you idiot?!" Grif demanded.

"There was someone in there!" Rock called back, "I have to see if he's okay!"

Grif groaned, "Why does he have to do this every time someone gets shot and he thinks they're still alive? Did he forget about Manfredi and Johnson?"

"Who?" Donut asked.

"It's too painful to talk about," Simmons replied.

"Come on," Rock muttered as he dropped to his knees and rolled Church over, "Not good." He quickly reached into his medical kit and pulled out a stethoscope before putting it on Church's chest, "…Damn. He's fading bad."

Church groaned softly, "T…Tucker…Tucker!"

"I'm here, man," Tucker softly replied as the Blues ran over to their fallen comrade, " It's going to be okay, man."

"No. Ah... I'm na-I'm not gonna make it," Church got out, "Tucker...there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I just want you to know… I always hated you. I always hated you the most."

"Yeah, I know you did. Now hurry up and die, you prick."

"Okay. Herk!...Bleah..."

* * *

Rock sighed as he removed the last of his armor aside from his combat boots and gloves. He just had to get away for a little bit every so often and found that if he went out at night with just the armor on his boots, he could actually hide in the dead of night. Plus, he wanted to not look at Grif in footy pajamas again.

_"OooOooo…OooOooo…"_

Rock stopped in his walking at the somber voice. Looking around, he heard the voice behind a rock.

_"You and I were in a dream. You'd follow close wherever I'd lead~ The steps you'd echo on and on. You'd catch me safe if ever I fall~"_

Rock slowly peeked over the rock and his face went red. Singing the tune was a woman in her mid-twenties, possibly around his age, even. She was lying on her back in one of his favorite spots to just gaze at the night sky, singing that sad tune. Even in the light of the night, he could see her soft, ivory/cream skin along with the solid black jumpsuit that hugged every curve of her body and didn't leave much to the imagination. Then again, looking down at his own black jumpsuit, he couldn't say much about that it left little to the imagination. All he had on besides his jumpsuit was his combat boots and his gloves. Peeking over the rock, he noted she had a pair of boots and gloves on as well. His face went redder at the sight of her sitting up to brush a bit of her long, flowing, golden locks of hair from her face. He was worried when he saw the puffy bits of her eyes, looking as if she had been crying.

"U…H-Hello?" the girl froze at Rock's voice, "A…Is everything okay?"

* * *

Roll had finally stopped her tears. She was never used to burying the dead, especially those under her command. Her first day on the job and she fucked up badly. In just her first few hours there, she had lost the flag, lost the tank, and one of her men was killed in what killed the tank since he was trying to get out of the tank since it had been so sudden. She was just glad this place had a good view of the night sky. She had always felt a little better when she just looked up at the sky, trying to find constellations or making them up.

"U…H-Hello?" Roll froze at the voice, "A…Is everything okay?"

Slowly, Roll turned her head to see who was asking. She faintly blushed and was thankful it was dark out so he couldn't see it. The boy before her was around her age, possibly the exact age. His shaggy, midnight-blue hair reached down to his shoulders with two bangs on the sides of his youthful face. His soft, dark-emerald eyes held within them a sense of confusion at her with worry mixed in. Like her, he had on a jumpsuit that was tight on his body, yet baggy near the crotch area.

"I…I'm fine," she replied, trying not to show her sadness.

"Then why did your singing sound so sad?" the young man asked, making her flinch, "…Is…Is it because you heard about the man who died today?"

"It…It's not just that. I came here to be with my…with the one who took me in," Roll informed as the man sat beside her, "I…I was so excited to see him and…and I learned that he died weeks ago. He had a heart attack while he was asleep."

* * *

Rock winced at that, "A…And the soldier today?"

"A subordinate of his. He…I saw that he had such great potential but…But he couldn't get out of the tank in time," she choked out a sob.

"…Were you able to give the man his proper rest?" Rock asked.

"I…I think so," she replied, "But…"

"But you don't think you were able to say 'good-bye' yet to either of them, huh?" Rock asked while he gazed at the stars, "Yeah. I…I know that well. This isn't the first war I've been in. Remember the war in Iraq?"

"Yes…"

"I was in that for the last parts of it," Rock informed, "A…A whole battalion was lost in a bombing, even my neighbor's son. We couldn't find any trace of his body, and they were just going to burn their bodies and not even bother to bury them."

"That's terrible!" she gasped.

"I know, right?" Rock snorted, "So, I volunteered to give them a proper burial. I knew a few of the men there and even played music with them at times. So, when I buried them all, I gave them one last song to hear as they went on."

* * *

"T…That sounds beautiful," Roll whispered.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Did you give either of them something like that?"

"N…No. I…I needed some time to think. I lost a man and the one who raised me all in one day," Roll replied, "So…So I came out here to think."

"Yeah. Sometimes I can't help but just look up there and think," he agreed before pointing at the sky, "At times, just to try to get my head a bit more clear, I'll make constellations. See those five up there? If you connect them right, you get a bunny rabbit's head, the little nose twitching a bit."

Roll giggled a little at that. She hadn't played that little game in a long, long time. Slowly, her gaze shifted to look over at where the two graves were buried. She tensed at the hand on her shoulder.

"Would you like me to help you pay some last respects for them?" he offered.

* * *

"I keep my guitar on hand at all times when I'm off-duty," Rock continued.

"T…That…That would be nice," she nodded slowly.

"Okay," Rock nodded, "I'm Rock, by the way. **Rock Griffin**."

* * *

"Rhodes…" Roll moved a bit of her hair away from her face, "**Roll Rhodes**."

"That a beautiful name," Rock complimented.

"Thanks. I like yours as well," Roll nodded, earning a chuckle from Rock.

Soon, the two were standing before the graves. Rock had to admit that he loved the flowers on the older grave and wondered to himself if blue flowers would grow on the other grave. Rock began to play a somber melody on his guitar. Roll slowly took a breath, closing her eyes as she put her hands together.

_OooOooo~ OooOooo~  
You and I were in a dream.  
You'd follow close wherever I'd lead.  
The steps you'd echo on and on.  
You'd catch me safe if ever I fall.  
Your hand in mine, we walked along.  
No hill too high, no road was too long.  
To stay with you, my only dream.  
To share your life, whatever it means._

OooOooo~ OooOooo~  
OooOooo~ OooOooo~

_I knew you'd have to go away.  
My love for you could not help you stay.  
You drifted off day by day.  
I cherished every breath that remained.  
In my arms, close to me,  
your body broke, your soul was set free.  
You left this world, my treasured friend.  
The chapter closed, but love has no end.  
Farewell my angel. You are with me always.  
Just close your eyes now. Next time we meet, it's forever._

Roll slowly opened her eyes as she finished her song. She wiped her eyes of her tears as she looked over at Rock.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"No problem," Rock replied with a smile, "Well, I gotta get back to the base I'm stationed at. Otherwise, my Sargent will kick my ass with his shotgun. And I do not want to be YJGS."

"What?"

"It's short for 'You Just Got Sarged,'" Rock chuckled, earning a giggle from her, "Ah. A smile! Perfect thing to see before going to bed," with that, he ran off, "Hope you feel better later, Roll."

"Rock Griffin, huh…" Roll whispered before she turned and walked into Blue Base, stopping to see Caboose walking out of his quarters with a yawn, wearing blue and white footy-pajamas and his helmet.

"Toilet," Caboose muttered as he walked off.

"…" Roll giggled a little, _'Maybe this place won't be as bad as I thought.'_

* * *

**Yes, I went with Megaman X Command Mission for X's design, but I think the design is cooler than any other basic armor we've seen him with!**

* * *

**Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15, then this becomes an actual story. AND I MEAN MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE ABOUT LIKING THE STORY AND/OR WANTING ME TO WRITE MORE! I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS! I WANT A GOOD REVIEW, DANG IT, WITH QUESTIONS AND QUERIES AND ALL THE STUFF LIKE THAT!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so with all of them being more than just one sentence or statement and actualy try to at least ask something about the story-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Caboose the Familiar**

**GammaTron: …Yes, ladies and gentlemen of , I am a fan of Red Vs Blue by Rooster Teeth. You can thank my sister and her friend for putting me in a room and somehow made the door synched to a computer that would only let me out if I watched a few scenes of RvB. One of those scenes happened to involve Tex beating up the Reds and Tucker while Caboose was in a room that let him watch the fight. I fell over laughing when he said 'This place is full of mean ladies!' And I was also interested with Familiar of Zero at the time I was watching RvB so…yeah…this happened. And like I said earlier in the previous story idea: If I get eight good reviews (That means YOU HAVE TO ASK A QUESTION!) for a Red VS Blue story, I will publish them all with a second chapter included.**

**Disclaimer: I own no one here. Also, any and all flamers and flames will be dealt with by Sarge.**

**Sarge: *cocks his shotgun and growls* Trolls…and Grif.**

**Grif: *off-screen* Hey!**

**Caboose: *walks over* Excuse me, but where am I?**

**Dammit, Caboose! Get in the story! You're the main character!**

**Sarge: What?! *stomps off* That's it! Get me mah Warthog!**

**…Ooookay…While I flee from a polka tune-playing truck with a machine gun attachment, enjoy this story. *runs off***

**Caboose: Um…I am still lost here. *sees a portal from Familiar of Zero* Oooh~! Shiny! *runs into it***

***A familiar music began to play in the background, growing louder, before the Warthog drove by, Sarge on turret while Simmons drove***

**Sarge: Yeehaw! **

* * *

**Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière** coughed the most out of everyone in the field due to her being closest to the explosion. Her one chance at not screwing things up and continue being called a 'Zero' had once more blown up in her face! She swore she could hear that Zerbst laughing at her.

"Oh! Oh wow! That was so fun! I wanna do it again!" a voice cheered in the smoke.

Slowly, the smoke began to dissipate and revealed a humanoid figure. The figure wore the strangest armor they had ever seen. It seemed to be a brilliant shade of blue.

"Hey…Everyone is looking at me. I love when they do that," the man in blue armor whispered aloud before waving and calling out, "Hi, everybody!"

"A…A knight?" **Guiche de Grammont** pondered.

"What's a knight?" the man in blue armor asked, tilting his head, "Is it like a soldier?"

"A soldier?" Kirche repeated as she slowly looked at Louise, "You _paid_ a soldier to be your Familiar?"

"I…I did not!" Louise snapped, blushing.

"Oh! Hey~!" the man's call made them look at him, his helmet looking at Louise, "You have pink hair. I know someone with pink armor! His name is Donut and he is my friend. …And my enemy. And he is fun to be friends with. But he talks too much about pretty thingies and thingies girls like. …He is my enemy."

"Is…Is he okay?" Guiche whispered, earning a shrug from Montmorency.

"Brain damage," everyone looked over at Tabitha before the man gasped.

"It's a big dragon!" the man exclaimed, "She is very pretty!" he looked at Tabitha since she was closest to the dragon, "Is the pretty dragon yours?"

"**Sylphid**."

"Oh? She is your friend? That is good," the man nodded before waving to the dragon, "Hi, dragon! You are a pretty dragon!"

"Kyuuun~" the dragon seemed to blush while her tail wagged.

Colbert cleared his throat, "N-Now, Louise, please finish the Contract with this man."

"Wh-What?!" Louise gasped.

"Contract? But, mister, I am not a macaroni," the man pointed out.

"…A what?" Colbert blinked twice.

"Mercenary."

"Oh! Thanks, nice lady!" the man informed before saying to Colbert, "I like her. She's a nice lady. All the other ladies I know are mean. The place I came from is full of mean ladies!"

"Aw~" Kirche cooed a little, feeling sorry for the man, "Poor boy."

"Thank you!" the man thanked.

* * *

"I…I'm not sure what to say," the head nurse informed before slowly exhaling a few times, "His brain is…hurt. And we can't heal it."

"Brain damage?" Colbert asked.

"Yes," the nurse informed before looking at Louise, "You'll need to be gentle with him, Ms. Valliere. He's more of a child than anything."

"Wh…Who would have a person with brain damage in a military?!" Colbert demanded in anger.

"The Blues," Caboose replied.

"Stupid Familiar…" Louise muttered.

"You're a mean lady!" Caboose snapped, "Why do I meet only mean ladies?!"

Louise facepalmed, _'Good Brimir, he's like a little kid!'_

"Ms. Valliere!" the head nurse gasped.

"…" Louise sighed, "Caboose."

"Hm? Oh! I am Caboose!" Caboose beamed, "And everyone is looking at me again. Hi, everybody!"

"…Right…" Louise sweardropped, "Listen, Caboose? I want you to go with Professor Colbert for a little bit, okay?"

"Huh? Why do I have to go with him?" Caboose asked.

"He wants you to help him with something real quick, okay?" Louise asked.

"…Will I get milk and cookies for doing a good job?" Caboose asked, looking at Louise and Colbert.

"…" Colbert looked at Louise.

"Only if you do a good job and be on your best behavior and listen to him," Louise replied.

"Yay!" Caboose cheered, "I am getting milk and cookies later!"

"Um…R-right this way, Caboose," Colbert informed, "But…Do you have a full name?"

"Uh-huh. My name is **Michael J. Caboose** and I love everyone."

"Oh, you are so adorable," the head nurse giggled as she patted Caboose's head before the man put his helmet back on, "Be good for the professor."

"Okay, nice lady," Caboose nodded, "Bye-bye, mean but nice lady."

Once they were gone, Louise groaned, "Brain damaged…He's brain damaged."

"And Autistic," the head nurse added.

"Yeah," Louise sighed before her head processed it, "Wait, what?"

* * *

"This armor is amazing!" Colbert awed as he looked over Caboose's armor, "Michael, where did you get this armor?"

"You can call me 'Caboose,' since everyone calls me it," Caboose informed, wearing just his heart-themed blue boxers and blue sleeveless shirt, "And I got my armor when I enlisted. It turns food remains, pee-pee, and doodies into power so we can wear it all the time."

"…An…An alternate energy source?" Colbert whispered as he looked at the armor and then at Caboose and repeated for a few more minutes, "Do you know how it works?"

"No," Caboose replied, "Sorry."

"Dammit," Colbert muttered, "Can you get more?"

"Hm? Oh! Yeah!" Caboose nodded before putting his helmet back on, "Hey! Hey! Hey! This is Caboose. Anyone there?"

"…What are you doing?" Colbert asked.

=Hey, Caboose! Where are you, man?= a voice came from the helmet.

"Sweet Brimir!" Colbert jumped back in shock at the voice.

"Oh! Hi, Vic with no 'k,'" Caboose greeted, "I am at a castle and there's a lot of nice ladies here. I didn't like the last place I was at; those ladies were mean. That place was full of mean ladies!"

=Well, our surveillance equipment showed us that you ended up walking into a portal of some sorts= Vic informed =And you seem to be…holy shit. You are so out far there that there's nothing at all on the maps. Hold on, it'll take a few week, but I'll send your team from Blood Gulch and supplies for a base there=

"Okay!" Caboose replied, "And, uh…Can I get more armor? A nice man wants to join the Blue army."

=Oh? You're recruiting? Nice job, man! Good for you! Okay, I'll get right on it. Just stay there=

"Okay," Caboose agreed before Vic hung up and he looked at Colbert, "I did a good job."

"What was that?" Colbert asked.

"Uh…That was, uh…um…oh yeah! That was a radio communication!" Caboose beamed before a moment's pause went off, "…" he looked back at Colbert, "Can I put my armor back on? I'm naked and hungry."

"Y-You may…" Colbert sighed.

"Yay! Now I get cookies and milk! I love cookies and milk!" Caboose cheered.

_'He's a child in a man's body…and he was sent to fight a _war_?'_ Colbert thought while he glanced at Caboose's hand, where runes had been inscribed into it, _'And when Louise finished her contract with him…What do those runes mean?'_

* * *

"You'll be sleeping in the same room as me," Louise informed.

"Okay," Caboose nodded as they entered her room, "Oh, this is bigger than my room back at the base. And look." He pointed at the hay pile, "I got a bed now! All I got back at the base was a metal sheet with a pillow and blanket on it. …I had back problems a lot with it." He looked over at Louise, "You are the bestest ever! Except for Church. He is my bestest friend in the whole wide universe."

"Y-You don't care that you're sleeping on hay like a dog?" Louise asked, blushing a bit at the compliment (despite its bad grammar).

"Yes! I lived on a farm and I loved my hay bed," Caboose informed, "You must have learned about me somehow and knew I love sleeping on hay more than anything else! You are the bestest in the world!"

Louise giggled a bit while blushing heavily. She was actually getting her first compliments in years. Even if he was a bumbling autistic idiot with brain damage, he was still happy with being here.

"I cannot wait to go tell everyone I met the nicest people here when I go back to home."

Her eyes widened as the pupils turned into dots. Caboose wasn't paying attention at all as he took off his armor and put it against the wall before jumping onto the pile of hay with a blanket and pillow on it.

"U-Uh, Caboose? Y-You do know that being my F-Familiar means that…" Louise began before Caboose gasped.

"I almost forgot!" Caboose exclaimed before reaching into his armor and pulling out some tape and a paper before putting it on the wall, "There. Now I am content. Good night, Louise! I can't wait to see more of this fun place tomorrow!"

Louise stared at him, not sure if she should tell him or not. Slowly, she looked at what he had put up. Written messily in some blue ink of sorts was a poorly-made list. '**Cabose's Importent Lists of Stuf: 1. Tuker is stupid; 2. Sandwitches!; 3. Comand Hotline: 7AQR49M-2; 5. Mommy; P.S. Aswemness!; 7. Dancing time.**' …She really needed to read any books on healing brain damage. The soft snores of Caboose led her to yawn softly before putting her night-clothes on and slipped into her bed.

* * *

"Why?!" Church groaned as he paced around the bay of their spaceship, "The day we're heading home, and Caboose goes off into a portal to who-knows-where! Ugh! I am the worst babysitter ever!"

"That and we're going to be killed by his mom once she learns he's missing," Carolina added, her helmet off as she drank a bottle of beer.

"Aw fuck you, Carolina!" Church scowled behind his helmet.

"Bow-chicka-wow-wow!"

"Shut up, Tucker! We're blaming you for this!" Church informed.

"What?! Dude, not cool," Tucker frowned.

"Hold on," Washington held a hand up, "We're getting an incoming transmission from Vic."

"What now?" Church groaned.

"He's saying that we're being relocated to the farthest point of the galaxy. It'll take a few weeks to get there," Washington informed.

"What?! Oh, fuck no! We need to…"

"Caboose is already there," Wash informed, interrupting Church.

"…So when's our ride going to show up?" Church asked.

Carolina facepalmed.

* * *

"Louise! Louise! Wakey-wakey!" were the first words Louise heard as she began to wake up.

"Ugh…" Louise moaned as she began to awake, "Wh-What is it…?" she rubbed her eyes a little before looking to her left to see Caboose in his armor once more.

"Hi."

"Gyah!" Louise freaked as she fell off her bed.

"…Oopsie," Caboose sweatdropped, "…Tucker did it."

In a rush, all of her memories of the other day returned. Sighing in defeat, she slowly got up and got dressed (after distracting Caboose with a light on the window). Minutes later, the two were walking down to the dining hall. And yet, Louise was not happy. Why?

"Are we there yet?"

That's why. Since they had left the room, Caboose hadn't stopped asking that single question.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"I'm hungry."

"I am as well."

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"You went before we left the room!" Louise groaned.

"I still have to go."

"Ugh…" Louise facepalmed, really wanting to cry.

Why her? Why of everyone in the whole world did she have to deal with such a Familiar? Brain damaged and autistic! A failure…just like her.

"Louise, why are you crying?" Louise looked up at her Familiar, the man in blue armor keeling down and gently wiping some of her tears, "You should be happy."

"I…I am happy, stupid Familiar."

"What's a Familiar? Is it a Mommy, Daddy, and lots of kiddies?"

"That's a _family_," Louise sighed, smiling a little.

For some reason, Caboose just seemed to make her fell a bit happy than before with just one little comment. Eventually, they made it to the dining hall.

"Oh wow~! This place is _huge_!" Caboose exclaimed in awe, "And everyone eats here?"

"Not the Familiars," Louise replied, "But I was able to get an exception for you with the help of the head nurse."

"…Does that mean the pretty dragon from the other day isn't here?" Caboose asked.

"…Do you _want_ to eat with the other Familiars?" Louise asked.

"…What?"

Louise facepalmed, "The 'pretty dragon' isn't here. But the one who she is the Familiar of is."

"Oh? The nice lady who says small words?" Caboose asked.

"Yes."

"Can we sit with her so I can understand you if you say something too big for me to understand?" Caboose asked.

"…" Louise facepalmed, "I'm going to really regret this, you know. She's friends with my enemy, Zerbst."

"Your enemy? Oh, I have enemies, too. We play card games on Fridays," Caboose informed.

"…Then how are they your enemies?"

"They wear red. Red is the enemy," Caboose replied.

"…I'm starting to you like you more now," Louise smiled, comparing 'Red' to the hair color of Kirche.

* * *

"Oh, that was very yummy," Caboose beamed as he walked around the courtyard, "Oh! It's a floating eye on wings!"

"That's a Bugbear," Louise informed, "Don't you have creatures like this where you're from?"

"Um…" Caboose put a finger to his helmet and tilted his head, "No. We had these funny aliens that thought Church was a god. But then they died."

"…Not even gonna comment on that," Louise facepalmed.

"Why is everyone outside? Are they standing guard?" Caboose asked as he looked around, "But where is the flag?"

"…Flag?" Louise repeated before shaking her head, "No, no, no. Today, all the Second Year students are bonding with their Familiars."

"Oh," Caboose nodded.

"But, I'd be more than happy to let you do what you'd like to do. I need to talk to the head nurse," Louise informed.

"Okay," Caboose nodded before Louise walked off.

"And don't get in trouble! Whatever you get in trouble for, I'll get in trouble for!" Louise warned.

"Okay!" Caboose waved before walking off, "She's a nice girl. Sad she won't be a nice lady. There's no such thing as nice ladies."

He walked off, looking around. He didn't see the nice girl with the pretty dragon. She must be sleeping. Eventually, he ended up bumping into a young teen in a maid's outfit with shoulder-length, black hair.

"Oh! My apologies!" she apologized.

"Sorry. My fault," Caboose apologized, "I'm Caboose."

"Caboose?" the girl repeated, "Why, you're the Familiar that Ms. Valliere summoned yesterday, yes?"

"Um…I think so," Caboose nodded, "Who are you?"

"Siesta," the girl replied before looking over him, "Why…you have the same armor that my family has back home, but a bit sleeker and a richer shade of blue."

"Really?" Caboose tilted his head.

"Yes," Siesta nodded.

"Are you serving pie?" Caboose asked.

"Yes," Siesta nodded.

"It isn't Hair Pie, is it?" Caboose asked, "Because I once thought my grandmother made the world's most famous hair pies."

"Hare…pie?" Siesta repeated.

"My grandmother once said that her hair pie was a huge hit with the soldiers," Caboose informed, "When she was in college…"

"What's college?" Siesta asked.

"…I am not sure. My mommy said that I wasn't allowed to go because I got drafted," Caboose informed, "But my grandma was in college, and she would give it to all the soldiers returning from war and they loved it! It made her the most popular girl in town!"

"Well, I do think there are some hares that we can get to make it," Siesta informed, "Is there a recipe?"

"Uh…No, no," Caboose replied, "Sarge, the leader of the Reds, told me what she really meant by 'hair pie.'"

He leaned over and began to whisper it into her ear. Siesta nodded slowly in the beginning. Moments passed before she went bright red.

Siesta gasped, "Grandmother, no!"

"Don't even get me _started_ on the 'Gobble-gobble,'" Caboose added.

It took around five minutes for Siesta to recover before she said to Caboose, "W-Well, it isn't p-pie…" she turned green for a few seconds, "I…It's cake."

"What kind of cake? I hope not the blue hard ones that were in the bathroom toilets back home. Church told me to not eat them and I did once and Doc had to make me sleepy and then I had to stay in bed for a week and Church told me I was a bad boy."

"I…I don't even know what to say about that," Siesta sweatdropped.

"Do you need help?" Caboose asked.

"Um…Y-Yes," Siesta nodded, "C-Can you hold the tray so I can serve the slices to the students?"

"I can do that," Caboose nodded.

With that, the two were off. Siesta had to admit that Caboose was really handy. Normally, she had two carry a tray of slices of cake all the time. But with Caboose and his amazing strength, the entire cake could be taken around in one hand and the plates in the other. She wasn't sure if it was the armor of if it was her natural strength.

"Excuse me, but how are you so strong?" Siesta asked.

"Everyone I know says that it's a trade for something," Caboose noted, "No idea, though."

"I see…" Siesta noted.

The two soon served cake to a group of male students, one of which being Guiche. In an elegant wave of his arm, a small vial fell out of his sleeve and near Caboose's foot. Caboose looked down and quickly used his foot to send it into the air before tossing the cake into the air. He then caught the vial first.

"You dropped this," Caboose informed as he held the vial out.

"Why thank you," Guiche nodded as he took the vial, not even looking at what he was given, while Caboose caught the cake.

"Caboose-san!" Siesta called.

"I am Caboose!" Caboose called before following over to where Siesta was, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. I just needed to cake, please," Siesta informed.

"Okay!" Caboose nodded.

"Now stay still while I cut a few slices out."

"Okay…" Caboose nodded before gaping, "Oh! It's the nice girl with the pretty dragon!"

"Hello," Tabitha nodded.

"Oh? The soldier's still in uniform?" Kirche pondered, "I'm interested in what you look like under that armor if you're determined to hide yourself."

"Teacher Colbert knows what I look like since he had to look at my armor," Caboose informed, "It was drafty in just my boxers."

"…Boxers?" Kirche raised a brow.

"Tucker told me that only real men wear boxers and not briefs," Caboose informed before hearing someone getting slapped twice.

"Oh? It seems that Guiche has been found out, hm?" Kirche pondered as she looked to the side of Caboose to see two girls stomping away from Guiche, who was now on the ground and sporting two swelled cheeks.

"…" Caboose put the cake on the table before running over and helped Guiche up, "Are you okay?"

"You!" Guiche growled.

"I am Caboose," Caboose informed.

"You are the one who put that vial in my hands!" Guiche growled, "I challenge you to a duel."

"…What?" Caboose pondered as everyone else gasped.

"A…A duel," Guiche repeated.

"But I do not have my cards. My mommy wouldn't let me take them with me to the war," Caboose informed, "…" he looked over at Siesta, who was trembling in fear for Caboose, "Do you have cards?"

"…Are you being serious about this?" Guiche asked, feeling the headache forming.

"Well, how else do you play Pokémon?" Caboose asked.

"…What?" Guiche asked, "N…Never mind. Look, just meet me in **Vestri Court** in one hour. There, I shall uphold the honor of the two women you have insulted."

"But they didn't hit me. They hit you."

"…Just be there," Guiche groaned before he walked off, pinching the bridge of his nose in his headache.

"Okay!" Caboose waved before looking around, "Um…What's a Vestige Cult?"

"Brain damage," Tabitha, being the only one who didn't facefault at his question, reminded everyone.

"Brain damage?!" Siesta gasped, "But…But Caboose shouldn't fight with that condition!"

"Oh, I've fought a lot," Caboose informed.

* * *

"No cure?!" Louise exclaimed.

"Indeed. From what he's told me yesterday. He apparently had been forced to share his body with more than one mind at times, had a gallon of blood lost in just a few minutes, suffered oxygen deprivation, and a few other cases that, when combined, made the young man the way he is now," the head nurse informed, "The brain is the trickiest piece of the body. One that we're not comfortable with experimenting on."

"So…there's no cure…" Louise frowned.

"You seem quite concerned for him, don't you?"

"O…Of course I am! Who puts someone with brain damage into an army?!" Louise demanded.

"From what he said, this all happened _in _the army."

"…What kind of army was he in that approved that?!" Louise shouted in anger before a knock came from the door and Tabitha walked in.

"Is everything okay?" the nurse asked.

"Caboose."

"What did he do?" Louise groaned.

"Guiche."

"He did something to Guiche?! Ah great…" Louise facepalmed.

"Vestri Court."

"What?!" Louise freaked before running out, "Caboose!"

* * *

"I commend you for not running away," Guiche informed flamboyantly.

"I was supposed to run away?" Caboose asked.

"…" Guiche felt the headache form once more, "Let us go on, then…"

"Caboose!" Louise shouted as she ran up with Tabitha walking over to where Kirche was, petting a dog-sized red salamander with a flaming tail tip, "Caboose, what did you do?"

"I don't know. He asked to do a duel, but I don't see any cards on him," Caboose pointed out.

"…What?" Louise asked.

"Duel," Tabitha informed.

"…Dang it, Guiche! He has brain damage!" Louise shouted, "He doesn't know better!"

"He has still shamed two fair maidens and I cannot let that go unpunished," Guiche informed.

"But they slapped you," Caboose pointed out.

"…" Louise facepalmed.

"My Runic name is 'The Bronze,'" Guiche informed before pulling out a rose, "Let me show you."

With that, he tapped the stem of the rose and a petal fell off, landing a few meters away. The rose glowed before a bronze armor resembling a Valkyrie formed from the ground and rose. Caboose tilted his head.

"I have never seen armor like that before. Where did it come from?" Caboose asked.

"This is my special talent; the Valkyrie," Guiche smirked, "Now, let's see how you fare against her!"

"Oh…! It's a fight!" Caboose realized, "…" he turned to Louise, "Um…Am I supposed to do something now or is it Running Time?"

"What?" Louise raised a brow.

"Mad," Tabitha informed.

"Mad?" Caboose looked over at Tabitha, "Oh, I know how to get mad! This meanie O'Malley was in my head for a bit and he was a meanie!"

"…"

"Yeah. He was a big meanie and took over a lot of my friends and enemies that are also my friends and…yeah…It's a big, long story. It's twenty hours long and I'm only interested in telling it in five minute intervals," Caboose informed, "But, he did teach me to be mean." He began to grunt as he began to think, "I, just, have, to, concentrate, on, bad, things. Like…Red, Bull."

"?"

"I just need to get angry, and say, mean, things! Like…uh…Sarge's brain is a mountain of hatred!" Caboose grunted.

* * *

"I never thought I'd feel this again, but I feel that I actually miss you once more, Grif," A soldier in a red version of Caboose's armor and a different helmet informed another soldier in orange.

* * *

"Now, I, am, thinking, about…Kittens! Guh, kit-tens, covered, in, spikes. That makes, me, _angry_!" Caboose grunted before giving a loud, angry roar.

"What?" Guiche raised a brow as Caboose stopped roaring and turned to look at him.

"Caboose?" Louise pondered as the blue soldier pulled out a strange, black, metal device, _'What is that?'_

"What is that?" Colbert pondered, watching nearby with the headmaster of the school, **Osmond**.  
"It looks like a small version of the **Staff of Destruction**," Osmond noted under his breath, stroking his beard in interest.

"My name is **Michael J. Caboose**," Caboose informed in a deep, intimidating voice, not noticing a glow on the back of his left hand, "And I hate BRONZE!"

With that, he cocked the black item in his hand before pressing a black bit on it. The rapid sounds of something like thunder came from the gun as the Valkyrie was filled with holes before collapsing into a pile. Guiche screamed before swinging his rose, releasing five more petals that formed more Valkyries. They charged at Caboose before the soldier charged at them, roaring in his deep voice. His gun vanishing to wherever he pulled it out, Caboose grabbed the face of one of the bronze warriors before kicking it a few times in the gut armor before throwing it into another one. He tackled another over before ripping its helmet off and proceeded to beat it up with its own 'head.' The remaining ones began to slowly back away before Caboose whipped out his strange, metal weapon once more and pelted them with more holes, leaving only one.

"I will eat your unhappiness," Caboose declared, "Your toast has been burned, and no amount of scraping will remove the black arts."

Switching for a long, large knife, Caboose approached the armor slowly and threatening. A small puddle of bronze liquid formed below its feet before it tore its own helmet off and beat itself to pieces with it. Pocketing the knife with a snort of annoyance, Caboose slowly approached Guiche and reeled back one leg. All the men there winced in agony as Guiche sang soprano for a good five minutes. He collapsed, passed out, holding his swollen nuts. Caboose slowly approached Louise and Siesta, both shaking a bit at what they saw what he had done.

"I blacked out," Caboose informed in his normal voice, bringing a finger up to his mouth area while tilting his head, "I had the strangest dream. I was in a boxing match with a koala and the koala was Church and he wanted to hug me. And then there was a very mean kitten. And now my throat hurts, a lot."

"A…Are you okay, Mr. Caboose?" Siesta asked.

"Huh? Where's daddy?" Caboose asked as he looked around before running off in a random direction, "Daddy? Daddy! Hello~! It is me, Caboose! You are not dead still?"

"…Please tell everyone that works here to not call him 'Mr. Caboose,' please," Louise sweatdropped, "…Please?"

"Yes, Ms. Valliere," Siesta nodded.

* * *

**Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15 (8 if it's a story involving Red VS Blue), then this becomes an actual story. AND I MEAN MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE ABOUT LIKING THE STORY AND/OR WANTING ME TO WRITE MORE! I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS! I WANT A GOOD REVIEW, DANG IT, WITH QUESTIONS AND QUERIES AND ALL THE STUFF LIKE THAT!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so with all of them being more than just one sentence or statement and actualy try to at least ask something about the story-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Red VS Blue: Minecraft**

******Has anyone ever thought to do this before? The Reds and Blues are sucked into the world of Minecraft. Not just them, either. It'll be a different kind of Minecraft as well.** And like I said earlier in the previous story idea: If I get eight good reviews (That means YOU HAVE TO ASK A QUESTION!) for a Red VS Blue story, I will publish them all with a second chapter included.

**Disclaimer: ********I do not own anything or anyone here except for certain characters in the Minecraft world. Rest is owned by Mojang and Rooster Teeth. **Also, any and all flamers and flames will be dealt with by Sarge.

**Sarge: *cocks his shotgun and growls* Trolls…and Grif.**

**Grif: *off-screen* Hey!**

**Sarge: Y'all better stay outta mah chatroom!**

* * *

"Fuck…" **Agent Washington** groaned, "My head…"

"Tucker did it!"

"Oh, fuck you!"

"Hey! He's waking up!"

Washington slowly began to get up, his eyes still closed behind his helmet. Last thing he remembered, he had accidentally unplugged something and then the sirens. Opening his eyes slowly, he gazed at a medical item as it was just ending its glowing.

"Okay. I think you're okay, now," **Simmons** informed as he lowered the medical item. "Wh…What happened?" Washington asked.

"Well, the bad news is that the ship broke in two and we don't know where the first half of it is," Simmons informed, "The good news is that we're alive."

"And just where are we?" Washington asked.

"Dude, this place is fucked up. Everything's blocks," **Tucker** informed behind Simmons.

Washington slowly began to stand up. He blinked a few times under his helmet as he gazed around. The skies were bright and there was a gentle breeze in the air. However, that's where normalcy ended. They were in a forest, that much he could tell, but the trees were all made of four corners, not round. Even the leaves were in the shapes of blocks. And…was that cow square too?!

"What the hell?" Washington raised a brow.

"That's not the only weird thing," Simmons pointed out, "Watch this."

He walked over to one of the trees and began to punch it. Washington watched as cracks appeared in a 'block' of the three until that 'block' turned into a tiny version of itself big enough for Simmons to fit into the palm of his hand.

"The fuck?!" Wash exclaimed.

"Carolina and Church are looking around the area, trying to find a source of civilization," Simmons added.

"Okay. Wait. Where's Caboose?" Wash looked around before hearing a series of barks.

"Agent Washingtub! Agent Washingtub!"

"Speak of the Devil," Simmons joked as Caboose ran over.

"I found puppies!" Caboose cheered.

"…What?"

"I gave them the bones from our dinner last night and they all grew collars and started following me!" Caboose beamed as a set of five wolves wearing blue collars ran over, panting happily, "See? Their names are Fluffy, Fuzzy, Cuddles, Puffy, and Bob."

"…Bob?" Simmons repeated.

"Yeah," Caboose replied with a sigh, "She didn't like 'Freckles.'"

The wolf in a lightish-blue collar growled at that name. She began to pant happily as Caboose began to happily pet her head along with the other five wolves.

"Who're good puppies? You're good puppies!" Caboose cooed.

"Dammit, Caboose! We can't keep those things!" Tucker groaned.

"Why not?" Caboose asked.

"For one, we don't have any more bones," Simmons pointed out, "Two, we don't have any food around here."

"Why don't you hit the leaves like I did?" Caboose asked.

"Wait, what?" Grif asked.

"See?" Caboose asked as he ran over to a tree and hit one of the blocks of leaves, causing the leaves to vanish completely, but an apple floated down into his hands, "Apple."

"…" Grif was immediately hitting as many blocks of leaves as he could, "No. No. No. The fuck? Is this a sapling? No. No. Another sapling. No. No. No. No. YES! Oh, sweet golden delicious. How I missed you so."

"Disgusting," Simmons shook his head as Grif began to quickly eat the apple.

"Well, at least we can grow any trees that we take," Washington noted as he picked up the saplings, his eyes blinking a few times when he saw that they seemed to fuse into a single sapling with an 'X' and a number in the bottom right corner, "Okaaaay…This is weird."

"Yeah. It seems that the items in this world act like that," Simmons noted, ignoring Grif as he continued to mow down the trees of their leaves for more food, "But I also found something interesting." He punched at the ground with the hand holding the block of wood and it appeared at its original size at the spot Simmons punched at, "See? And it seems that if you think about a 3X3 grid with the block of wood in the middle of the grid, it changes to four wooden blocks."

"Huh?" Washington pondered before Simmons broke the block once more before four wooden blocks were quickly place by him, "Whoa."

"We're going to use these to build a base," Simmons informed, "It's getting dark soon, judging by the sun's position in the sky."

"Okay," Washington nodded, "Wait. Where's Sarge?"

"He went out hunting," Simmons informed as Sarge ran up.

"Hey! Ah jest killed a cow and all it gave me was this leather and a piece of beef," Sarge complained as he showed the items, "What is wrong with this world? When y'all kill a cow, you get all of it! Not jest…jest…_this_!"

"Are you crying?" Grif asked, pausing in his apple gathering.

"Of course not, dirtbag!" Sarge snapped at him.

"It's still big. More than enough to split into two meals. Maybe more since it seems you've gotten more than one piece of meat from that cow," Washington noted, "Were there anymore of these cows?"

"Yeah," Sarge sighed, "But don't expect anythin' more than what Ah got."

"Great," Washington nodded before Simmons screamed.

"What happened?" Grif asked as they turned to Simmons, who was now standing before a cube with tools printed on the sides and a three by three grid on the top.

"I…I just put some of the wooden blocks I made from one of the stumps together and they made this!" Simmons informed before the grid glowed and displayed a map of sorts, "And this happened!"

"Let me see it," Tucker noted as he walked over and began to look over it all, "Wow. There's a lot of stuff we can make with this."

"Any Warthogs?" Sarge asked.

"M…No," Tucker replied, "But we can make some tools with this and maybe build a base or two if we get enough of these blocks."

"Hot damn!" Sarge beamed as he pushed Tucker and Simmons out of the way, "Now where's the red blocks here?"

"Aw, dude! Come on!" Tucker groaned as he and Simmons got up.

"Let's just work on cutting down some trees. I was able to see the recipe for making another of those workbenches," Simmons informed.

"Okay! Time to cut down some trees," Tucker smirked as he summoned his sword and began to cut at the trees, creating their blocks.

"Hey!" Grif snapped as he ran over, "Don't cut down the trees with leaves! I haven't looked for their apples yet." He pointed at the poles made of wood, "Use those. I took out all their leaves and got a lot of apples and these saplings. You think I can get some maple syrup from them? Maybe some pancake mix?"

"I didn't see anything on the board for that," Tucker noted before he made a workbench as well and brought up the food, "Nope. No pancakes. But they have cake."

"Cake?!" Grif exclaimed, "What do we need?"

"Milk, sugar, and eggs," Tucker replied, "And you need a bucket to get it."

"What?!" Grif exclaimed.

"Yeah. Apparently, you need some iron to make the bucket," Tucker added.

"Where do I get some?" Grif asked.

"Bow chicka bow wow."

"Wow. Haven't heard you say that in a while," Grif pointed out, "But seriously, where do I get the iron? I want cake!"

"Well, there's also cookies," Simmons noted, "We just need cocoa beans and wheat."

"Help!" Caboose shouted.

"Caboose?" Washington pondered as he turned from the scene to see a square hole the five wolves were circling, whining a bit in concern.

"I am down here!" Caboose called, "And it won't let me climb up the sides!"

"How did you do this?" Washington asked.

"Sarge gave me a shovel he made from that box thingy and told me to dig the ground to a base!" Caboose replied.

"Wow. That's kinda deep," Grif noted as he looked down, "Probably seven chunks deep."

"Chunks?" Wash repeated.

"What. I think it's a good measurement for these blocks," Grif pointed out.

"Can it, dirtbag," Sarge ordered before shouting into the hole, "Try digging into th' sides!"

"Okay!" Caboose replied, "Oh no! My shovel broke."

"Here's another one!" Sarge called as he tossed one down, "Damn it!"

"What?" Simmons asked.

"Ah can't throw mah stuff at th' Blues," Sarge replied, "They jest shrink down and get all lightweight and harmless."

"I still think you're doing a fine job, sir."

"Shut up, Simmons. Ah'm too sad ta be cheered up right now," Sarge sighed before Caboose finally got up to the top.

"I made it!" Caboose cheered before holding up a black thing, "And look what I found! Is it a potato?"

"Hot damn! It's coal! Diesel! Fuel!" Sarge cheered.

"Caboose, is there more down there?" Simmons asked.

"Uh-huh!" Caboose nodded, "I found a cave!"

"You did? Whoo!" Sarge whooped before he ran down the path Caboose made, "Diesel for all! But none for Grif!"

"Whatever," Grif got out from his full mouth before he began to lay out blocks of wood made from a tree trunk block, "I'll build a base."

"Hold on, Grif. I'll make some doors," Simmons offered.

"Can we make a house for the puppies, too?" Caboose asked.

* * *

**Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15 (8 if it's a story involving Red VS Blue), then this becomes an actual story. AND I MEAN MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE ABOUT LIKING THE STORY AND/OR WANTING ME TO WRITE MORE! I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS! I WANT A GOOD REVIEW, DANG IT, WITH QUESTIONS AND QUERIES AND ALL THE STUFF LIKE THAT! *calms down* And to stop this question: the majority of the stories involving RvB are between Seasons 10 and 11.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Story Ideas**

**Hey, everyone. I know you're all expecting some stories to be updated sooner than later and I respect that, but I also have a ton of other ideas that my mind can't think straight. So, I thought you'd all like to see how my mind works, so I thought this would be a good way to show you. This will give previews of various ideas I've been having and, should one chapter get enough reviews-say 15 or so with all of them being more than just one sentence or statement and actualy try to at least ask something about the story-, then I'll start publishing it as an actual story here on FanFiction. So, enjoy.**

* * *

**Red VS Blue: FNaF**

**Recently, I was looking in my Kindle Fire and it showed this game; _Five Nights at Freddy's. _So, I began to look online for a bit and, after a few videos and fanfiction, I thought 'Huh. This is kinda creepy.' And just as I was done watching them, a new Red VS Blue episode came out and I began to slowly think 'I wonder if Caboose would end up befriending the scariest of the animatronics at Freddy's.' And this ended up popping into my head.**

**Disclaimer: ********I do not own anything or anyone her. Rest is owned by the guy who made _Five Nights at_ Freddy's, Bungie,and Rooster Teeth. **Also, any and all flamers and flames will be dealt with by Sarge.

**Sarge: *cocks his shotgun and growls* Trolls…and Grif.**

**Grif: *off-screen* Hey!**

**Sarge: Can it, dirtbag!**

**Also, this takes place during Season 9, so no Church or Carolina here.**

* * *

"Sigh. Groan. Oh, woe is me. Oh, I don't know what that even means."

**Michael J. Caboose **had a long, _long_ history involving the Blue Team of Blood Gulch. From being the rookie and team-killing a man/A.I. to being completely detached from reality due to a combination of cranium traumas, Caboose had the longest record of staying as the enemies of at least one Red Team member from Blood Gulch. Currently, the Private was just standing in a corner, sad. It was nearly three months since he lost his friend once more, but he would keep his promise to remember him for him, because they were brothers and not friends (a cookie for who can guess where that came from. Caboose Note: Do we get milk, too? A/N: ...Maybe.).

"Still standing in the corner, Caboose?" Caboose turned to see the new Blue on their team, ex-**Freelancer Agent Washington**, approach, wearing Church's armor.

"Oh yeah, Yeah, I just..." he sighed, "Yeah, I just miss Church sometimes, Agent Washingtub."

"I know you do, buddy," Wash assured as he walked up and gently put a hand on his shoulder, "He was your leader for a very long time."

"Yeah, I am just...I, I'm just so lost without him!" Caboose replied, "He helped me stay focused more better than I normally can!"

"Well, I'm sure we'll see him again. Just remember: 'Memory is the Key,'" Washington replied, "And I think Tucker has a surprise for you from today's 'fight' with the Red Team."

"Hey, Caboose, what was that pizza place you always told us you liked to go to when you were little?" Tucker asked as he entered.

Caboose gasped as he turned to Tucker, "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza!" Caboose exclaimed in joy, "Oh, it was so fun! Everything was so cool and had these fun games where you got little pieces of paper you could trade in for prizes! I got enough one time to buy a lot of candy!"

"Well...Guess what Grif had that we got for giving them their flag back?" Tucker asked before holding up a coupon, "A coupon for one free meal for a group of three or more at **Freddy Fazbear's Pizza**!"

"..."

"Uh...Caboose?" Washington pondered as he saw Caboose starting to hop a little in place.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy..." Caboose started chanting excitedly.

* * *

"I LOVE THIS PLACE!" Caboose cheered, wearing a blue shirt and jeans, before he started eating his pizza slice, "Still as yummy as ever!"

"I'm amazed he could remember what this place had to eat," Grif admitted, trying to ignore the looks kids gave his two-colored eyes and facial scars from his surgery years back every now and then, as he ate his own slice while wearing an orange shirt and red jeans (Sarge dyed all their blue jeans red), "Still as greasy and good as ever."

"Dude, aren't the robots here supposed to, you know, walk about?" Tucker, in a teal shirt and blue jeans, asked as he looked up at the stage, where a robot bear in a little, black, top hat and bow-tie, purple rabbit with a bass guitar and red bow-tie, and duck with a bib with the words 'LET'S EAT' on it were all singing, playing an instrument, or preaching about the food respectively in harmony, "At least, that's what I heard about this place from Caboose." he paused for a few moments, "And I should have realized that it was _Caboose_ I was listening to."

"It's plain creepy, I tell you what," Sarge, in a red shirt, jacket, and red jeans, snorted as he just drank his Mr. Pibb while examining the duck, "Especially the yellow one."

"That's the only girl of the group from what I know," Grif noted.

"Thanks again for letting us come along," Simmons thanked as he walked over with a good pile of tickets from the games nearby, keeping an eyepatch over his robotic eye and red gloves on to hide his metal hands, the rest of the metal parts on his body hidden under his maroon formal/T-shirt and red jeans, "I haven't played Whack-A-Mole in years."

"Well, next time you want to play it back home, just toss Grif into a set of tunnels you make in the ground and use a Shotgun for the hammer," Sarge replied.

"Oh god," Grif facepalmed.

"No problem. Consider it something as a tiny victory," Washington smirked, his natural blond hair actually doing well in hiding a few white hairs in it while he wore a gunmetal, yellow, and cobalt shirt and blue jeans.

"Wait a minute... Where is the captain?" Caboose asked as he looked around.

"Captain?" Tucker repeated, pausing in his Mountain Dew to look at Caboose.

"Yes. **Captain Foxy**. He was my favorite of the animals here. When it was story time with him, he always told us the bestest stories in the whole wide world about pirates and treasure hunting and being brave!" Caboose beamed, "He was the one who helped me decide to learn about machines and how to be friends with them!"

"Well, maybe he's not feeling well today," Tucker noted.

"Oh~" Caboose nodded.

"Come to think of it, do any of you smell that?" Washington asked as Caboose continued eating and listening to the band play.

"You mean the corpse smell?" Sarge asked.

"Yeah," Washington nodded as he looked at the three robot, "And look at them. It looks like they haven't been washed in years."

"Their eyes are weird, too," Simmons pointed out, "It's like they're staring at nothing at all in the distance."

"Creepy," Tucker shuddered.

"Well, I'm going to go cash these in for something," Simmons informed before he walked off.

"Your bill," a waitress informed as she put the bill on the table.

"We have a coupon," Grif informed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but since we're going to be closing down soon, we can't accept anymore coupons," the waitress informed.

"..." everyone but Caboose (who was with Simmons in wanting to get more tickets to get candy) looked at each other before Washington looked at the woman, "...May Sarge and I talk with your manager in his office?"

* * *

"So you can't pay," a thin man in a red shirt and blue jeans noted as he looked at the two men, "Well, how much do you owe in eaten pizza, drunk drinks, and other foods and drinks?"

"Roughly a hundred dollars worth," Washington replied.

"Three hundred if'n y'all include what Caboose and Grif ate," Sarge added.

"Caboose sure loves the pizza here," Wash admitted.

"...Tell you what; there's an opening in security here that we need filled. How many are with you?"

"Huddle," Sarge ordered before he and Washington huddled and began to mumble to each other for a few moments before they went back to face him, "Six of us in total, sir. Used to be more, but a few...issues came up and problems formed. And some people and robots were shot."

Washington whistled innocently at that point.

"Then if you work for five nights here and not quit, you'll be even and I'll give you the top prizes in the Prize Booth," the manager offered.

"Deal. If only Ah can find a situation where Grif will die and no one gets in trouble fer it except for Grif."

"Fair enough," Washington replied.

"Have you worked in security detail before?" the manager asked.

"We're soldiers back for a little vacation time," Sarge replied.

"Perfect. Your shift lasts from midnight to six in the morning," the manager informed, "Be here at ten tonight."

"Good thing we're staying at that hotel across the street," Sarge noted.

Washington nodded, "We should have enough for us to stay there for the rest of the week."

"Excellent!" the manager grinned, "And do try to come in your professional attire, hm?"

"Can do," Sarge saluted before he and Washington walked out, "Well, Ah blame Grif."

"Now don't do that, Sarge. How could he know that the place was closing down later this year?" Washington asked, "Look, we'll go back to the group, finish our food, tell them what we're doing for the next few nights, and I'm sure it'll all be done with nice and quick. Though...You do have to wonder just why they want us to come in uniform."

"True," Sarge nodded, a calculating look forming in his eyes, "Somethin' ain't right here... Ah can feel it in mah shotgun-holdin' arm."

* * *

"This is going to be the bestest night in my whole life! I always wanted to spend the night here!" Caboose cheered as the group entered Freddy Fazbear's Pizza at ten, "Hooray for Agent Washingtub and Sarge for letting us do this!"

"This sucks," Grif groaned, "Do we really have to do this?"

"Can it, dirtbag. It was your coupon that got us in this mess," Sarge snorted as the manager approached.

"You came! Oh thank heavens!" the manager exclaimed in relief, "Come now. I'll show you to your station and go over the simple details, okay?"

"Hi, **Freddy Fazbear**! Hi, **Bonnie Bunny**! Hi, **Chica Chicken**!" Caboose waved at the stage, "If you see Captain Foxy, tell him Caboose says 'hello' and that he feels better! I missed seeing him today!"

Washington and Sarge noted how the manager flinched at the name 'Captain Foxy.' Soon, they were all in a single room. The office was a small, compact room, yet more than enough to fit all of them with ease even if Grif laid down to sleep. Sitting against the wall to the left of where they entered rested a desk, on top of which sat a few electronic monitoring devices, as well as a fan, a drink, and various balled up papers. Wires streamed up to the ceiling from the monitoring devices. The desk had two drawers, and a speaker. On top of one of the monitoring screens sat a pink cupcake with large cartoony eyes that resembled those of the animatronic characters. The wall behind the desk was adorned with a poster of Bonnie, Chica, and Freddy on stage, on top of which said "Celebrate!" in large letters. In front of the speaker was a spider web. Simmons poked it and sighed in relief. It was just plastic.

Next to the poster were drawings which seemed to have been drawn by children, hanging up on the wall. The leftmost picture was one of Bonnie popping out of a white and red box; the drawing diagonal to it was one of a child getting a present from Chica, along with a cluster of smiley faces; the picture directly below that was one of a sun next to a group of balloons; and the picture diagonal to it was of Freddy handing a girl a present.

There are two other drawings, mostly obscured; the one on the left was a bust of Bonnie's smiling face, and the one on the right was two kids around a birthday cake, with what could be Chica and Bonnie's heads on top. Each drawing had large colored text on top that seems to read: "MY FUN DAY!" with the "N" of "FUN" obscured in each instance. In each picture showing the animatronic characters, their eyes were drawn as black with white pupils. But, to Sarge's questioning, why were they drawn that way?

On the side walls were windows on each side, which could let the Reds and Blues see out from the office, as well as two doors which stayed open, and could only be closed once one of them pushed the corresponding button if Church was examining them correctly. Outside the doors were hallways which lead to the rest of the restaurant, and contained some electrical things, as well as small papers littering the walls. Nearest to Tucker, who was sitting, were two panels, one on each side, both of which had two buttons mounted on them. The top button closed and opened the doors, and the lower buttons seemed to power on the corresponding lights to allow them to see directly outside the office. Washington and Sarge knew that because the buttons had 'Door' and 'Light' written above or below them.

The floor appeared to be black and white tiled, matched by a black and white tile stripe on both walls. The ceiling itself wasn't that bad, and the only thing on it seemed to be a hanging ceiling lamp, which illuminated the room. Simmons put a set of decorative plush dolls of Freddie, Bonnie, and Chica in three places on the desk; Bonnie on the left side of the desk, Freddie on top of the monitor in front of the poster, and Chica to the right of the fan. Caboose was sad there wasn't one with Foxy at the Ticket Booth, but Simmons had enough tickets to get those three.

"This is where you'll be working," the manager informed, "Please note that the doors and sealed tightly by magnets and drain power."

"Power?" Tucker repeated.

"Yeah. Due to how the place is closing soon, the system has been altered to switch to a generator that, if used wisely, will last six and a half hours," the manager replied, "It activates at eleven-fifty exactly and takes ten minutes to complete the exchange."

"Does it run on diesel?" Sarge asked.

"Yes. The first thing we do every morning is refuel it."

"Hot damn, I love this job so far," Sarge smirked under his helmet.

"W-Well, you're not allowed to leave this room for any reason after midnight, so I suggest you make some supplies while you're up right now," the manager advised, "Pizza supplies are in the kitchen-the camera's out in there, by the way-, so make it quick on baking enough for six hours."

"Outta my way, then!" Grif declared as he ran into the kitchen.

"Ah'll try ta repair that there camera later," Sarge offered.

"Oh, don't bother. It...It's fine," the manager waved the offer off before handing Sarge a tablet, "This tablet is connected to all the security cameras. Note that it costs your limited power supply to keep them operating, so they're designed to turn off when you're not looking at them."

"Okay," Sarge nodded as Simmons and Tucker began to look at it.

"Okay, let's note the locations," Simmons informed, "Looks like Camera 1A is the Show Stage."

"1B must be the Dining Hall and Camera 1C is..."

"Oh my god! It's **Pirate Cove**!" Caboose exclaimed as he looked over their shoulders, "And there is Foxy's place! 'Out of Order.' ...Is he out getting something? I thought he was sick."

"That's what you put up for robots when they're sick," Simmons informed, "2A is the West Hall and 2B seems to be the corner for that."

"There the supply closet at Camera 3," Tucker pointed.

"Can we put on the costumes there?" Caboose asked.

"I would advise you didn't try. They're made specifically for robots, after all," the manager informed.

"Aw man...I wanted to dress up for Captain Foxy," Caboose whined.

"4A and 4B are for the East Hall and East Hall Corner," Tucker noted, ignoring Caboose.

"Camera 5 is for the backstage," Simmons checked off, "And Camera 6 is for the kitchen since it's not working except for its audio."

"How can you tell it's the kitchen?"

"Only Grif sings in Italian when pizza is being made by him," Simmons replied as Italian singing was indeed heard on the tablet.

"Excuse me," Sarge informed before he walked off.

The tablet then began to play the sounds of someone getting hit, Grif screaming in pain, and Sarge shouting at him to shut up.

"Is...Is this normal?" the manager asked.

"Yep," Tucker replied as he looked at the last camera, Camera 7, "Aw dude. You have them at the bathrooms, too?"

"Yes," the manager replied, "All for safety purposes."

"Excuse me, sir," Simmons spoke as he showed Camera 4B, "But why do you have these rules? 'Don't touch Freddy' and 'Leave before dark?'"

"We don't want Freddy more damaged than he is and we close at eight," the manager replied, "Those four hours before midnight are a necessity for the night watch."

* * *

"Girf, as much as Ah despise you, y'all make a mighty fine sausage pizza," Sarge commented as they were all now in the office.

"Okay. Next time we get your flag, we're trading a pizza dinner made by Grif here for it," Tucker informed.

"Thank you, Yellow Person."

"I'm orange, Caboose."

"I thought your name was Grif."

"Ugh," Grif facepalmed before taking another anchovy pizza slice.

"It'll be midnight in three...two...now," Washington informed as he looked at his helmet's internal clock, "Now the manager said that we'll know it's six when the tablet beings to play a tune. We may lose power, but the tablet is always charged immediately after they refuel the generator."

_=Hello and welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Right now, it is midnight and we are now changing from standard power to the generator located outside. We will resume normal power operations at six AM. Have a nice night=_

"Sheila?" Caboose looked around.

"That did sound like her," Tucker noted, "But it was just a recording, Caboose."

"Oh," Caboose sighed, "I miss Sheila."

"I know, Caboose," Washington nodded before the phone rang and went to the answering machine almost immediately after the first ring.

"What the...?" Sarge pondered.

_=Hello? Hello? Uh..I wanted to record a message for you. To help you get settled in on your first night.=_

"Well, that was nice of him," Simmons noted as Tucker began to look at the tablet.

=Um,_ I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you, there's nothing to worry about. Uh...you'll do fine.=_

"So we're getting some advice from the last guy that worked here? That's fine with me," Grif shrugged.

_=So let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?=_ the group heard the sound of papers rustling _Uh, lets see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. I-It's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering the damage or death have occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced."=_

"Wait, what?" Tucker pondered as he looked away from the tablet, handing it over to Simmons to look at, "Did he just say what I thought he just said?"

"You're supposed to report a missing person immediately," Washington pointed out, "Not wait until you remove the evidence."

=_Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night. But do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for 20 years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay.=_

"Quirky?" Grif repeated with a nervous gulp.

"Uh, guys? Th...The rabbit's gone," Simmons informed.

"What?" Sarge looked over at Simmons.

_=So just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh... Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. They used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was the Bite of '87. Yeah... It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?=_

"Say what?!" Tucker exclaimed.

"You could live through that, but you'd end up as a vegetable," Washington noted, recalling some medical training that Project Freelancer had all Freelancers go through.

"There! The rabbit's in the middle of the dining hall! I can see him there and at the camera for the West Hall," Simmons pointed out on the tablet.

_=Now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchmen here, if any, is the fact that these characters... if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll most likely see you as a metal endo-skeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear_ _suit=_ even Caboose froze at that_ =Um, now that wouldn't be so bad. If the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices. Especially around the facial area. So you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of... discomfort... and death. Uh...the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask.=_

"...Holy fuck," Grif gulped.

"Guys! The rabbit's gone again!" Simmons whimpered, "I looked away to look at the other two-they're still there, by the way-and he's not in the Dining Area anymore."

_=Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night=_

"We're all gonna die!" Simmons freaked, "The rabbit's in the West Hallway corner, now! He's staring _right at the camera_!"

"Everything will be okay. Maybe they're just coming to hug us," Caboose offered.

"And now the chicken's gone, too!" Simmons freaked, "What is wrong with this place?! I can't find her anywhere!"

"Maybe she went to the kitchen to make pizzas," Caboose noted.

"Don't be ridiculous, Caboose, that's..." Simmons began as he changed to the video-less kitchen camera...only to hear the sounds of pots, pans, and cooking utensils being moved about, "...actually right."

"Huh. So I-I guess they like pizza?" Tucker gulped, hugging his sword's handle nervously while activating it.

"What makes you think that?" Grif rolled his eyes under his helmet before he turned on the West entrance's light and screamed, "OH GOD!"

Everyone turned quickly. There, at the end of the hall, was Bonnie. Tucker had the best sight of them all, so he saw what they couldn't; blood. _Fresh_ blood and mucus. The blood seemed to be like tears and drool while the mucus came from the mouth and nose. And the eyes...the cartoon eyes were missing, revealing the black, blank ones behind them. Washington slammed the door shut and turned the light off. After a few moments, he turned the light back on and yelped. Bonnie was right in front of the door, judging by the shadow at the window. He shut the light off as the tablet read that they had 85% power left. Slowly, Sarge reached to the side of his helmet and tapped something. Before becoming the Red Team leader he was today, he had been a former ODST member for the UNSC and, as such, was able to modify his helmet with a scanner of sorts. All around him, his men, and the Blue Team, had a green aura. Behind the door was a red outline of a rabbit. Slowly, the rabbit turned and walked away.

"Okay. Good news and bad news. Good news; the rabbit's gone," Sarge informed, "Bad news; we're just entering the second hour and are surrounded by two vicious robots out to stuff us into fuzzy animal suits. I nominate that we appease them with Grif."

"Well, fuck you," Grif scowled.

"We're not leaving anyone to them," Washington replied, "Simmons, report. Where's the duck?"

"She's a chicken, technically," Simmons noted as he changed to another camera, "HOLY FUCK! She's looking right at the camera in the East Corner! And she's got AN EXTRA PAIR OF TEETH!"

"Caboose, get ready at the right door!" Washington ordered before noticing Caboose on the floor, curled up and fast asleep.

"Oh, yes, Captain Foxy, Church is my bestest friend in the whole wide universe," Caboose mumbled in his sleep.

"How can he sleep at a time like this?!" Tucker demanded as he manned the other door.

"We got incoming that way," Sarge advised, "Shut it, Bluetard."

Tucker quickly closed the door. For a few moments, all they could hear was a deep breathing. Tucker slowly turned on the light and screamed at the sight of Chica at the window. Washington was the only one who stood before the window.

"Go away," Washington ordered, "Get back in your position for tomorrow or else."

Chica just gave a static-y laugh before waddling off. Washington turned off the light. He looked at the others to see Caboose was still asleep, Grif was keeping a close eye on the buttons for the other door, Sarge looking to his left and right every so often, a shaken Simmons looking at the cameras to make sure the two weren't near them, and Tucker activating his sword and trembling before the door Grif was ready to close at any time. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"How much longer do we have?" Grif whimpered as he kept ready at the East Hallway Door while Tucker was trembling beside the buttons for the West Hallway Door.

"About a few more minutes and five percent of the power remaining," Washington replied, "We're doing good so far."

"Simmons, status report," Sarge ordered, his HUD displaying no Animatronics in the vicinity.

"Freddy is still in place," Simmons replied, "And Chica's in the kitchen again. I swear, if she wasn't out to kill us, I'd say that she'd probably be a relative of Grif's."

"Shut up, Simmons!" Grif whimpered.

"And Bonnie isn't anywhere so-FUCK!" Simmons fell out of the chair.

"What is it?" Washington asked before he looked at tablet, "Oh my god."

Sarge looked at the tablet over Washington's shoulder. It was displaying the backstage. In it were heads for the animatronics and even one of the endoskeletons. Every single head was turned to directly look at the camera while the endoskeleton's head was looking right at it...With Bonnie also looking at the camera. The trio shuddered before Sarge went back to lookout. They all jumped when Caboose yawned as he woke up.

"Good morning. I had a good sleep," Caboose greeted before the tablet let out a small set of notes seemingly playing the sentence 'Good Morning, Everyone.'

"Oh...Oh thank god," Grif collapsed onto his back, sweating up a storm under his armor.

"Uh, guys? I just checked back to Freddy and they're all back there," Simmons informed, "But they were too far apart from there to make it back by now."

"Who cares?!" Tucker snapped before he muttered, "I never thought I'd say this; but I love the morning."

"It's only going to get worse from here," Wash informed, "We still have four more nights."

Everyone looked at him while Caboose said, "Yay! More sleepovers!"

"...Aw shit," Grif summed up what the rest were thinking.

* * *

**Anyways, leave those reviews and if I get 15 (8 if it's a story involving Red VS Blue), then this becomes an actual story. AND I MEAN MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE ABOUT LIKING THE STORY AND/OR WANTING ME TO WRITE MORE! I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS! I WANT A GOOD REVIEW, DANG IT, WITH QUESTIONS AND QUERIES AND ALL THE STUFF LIKE THAT! *calms down* And to stop this question: the majority of the stories involving RvB are between Seasons 10 and 11.**


End file.
